MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin food pantries are expecting another surge in demand now that supplemental FoodShare benefits have ended. 

On March 1, extra FoodShare funds, made available during the COVID-19 pandemic, expired.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, qualifying households received $281 a month, plus an additional $95 a month during the pandemic. That $95 has now stopped.

That could create increased need for food pantries. 

“A lot of folks expect us to say that during the pandemic, we saw this big surge in need, and then it kind of quieted down. That couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Francesca Frisque, manager of the Fritz Food Pantry inside the Goodman Community Center in Madison, Wis. “Our demand is just going like gangbusters, just keeps going higher and higher compared to previous years’ numbers.” 

Demand spiked when the pandemic hit, and spiked again when inflation rose. Demand never dropped off. 

“When [assistance] comes for March, they’re going to realize just how small it is compared to what they’ve been getting,” Frisque said. “It’s probably going to be a big shock.” 

Now, pantries are bracing for more surges in food insecurity. 

“Every couple of weeks, we’re breaking a record of how many people are coming to our pantry,” Frisque said. “We’ll say gosh, it we’ve never seen this many, and then two weeks from then it’s like we beat that record. So we don’t anticipate that it’s going to change anytime soon.” 

To find a local food pantry in your area, call 211.