The Tomah Health Community Foundation is helping hungry families in Monroe County. Foundation officials donated $3,000 to the Second Harvest Foodbank’s Mobile Pantry program during an event at Tomah Health Dec. 2.
“In the past, the Tomah Health Foundation has supported our food share outreach program. This year we’re shifting that support to really benefit more of the local community so that they can get food directly from the mobile pantry that’s held right here in Tomah because we really wanted to make sure that those resources stay local,” explained Kris Tazelaar, media and public relations manager for Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin.
Last year, the Second Harvest Tomah Mobile Pantry distributed 95,177 pounds of food to 2,346 households. When combined with the Sparta Mobile Pantry, the program in Monroe County distributed more than 170,000 pounds of food to almost 5,000 households. “We cover 16 counties here in southwestern Wisconsin. Some of them are rural, some of them are urban, and if you’re in an urban community, you have access to more resources,” Tazelaar said. “In a rural community like Tomah, you don’t have the same number of resources. You don’t have necessarily the same access from a transportation perspective, so that increases the challenges for those families who are struggling. That’s one of our goals is to try to bring those resources much closer to where the need is.”
The Tomah Mobile Pantry is held the first Tuesday of each month at Recreation Park, while the Sparta Mobile Pantry is held on the third Monday of each month at Memorial Park.
Last year Second Harvest distributed more food to families in southwestern Wisconsin than ever in the history of the organization. Second Harvest distributed almost 27 million pounds of food in fiscal year 2025, which is an almost 2-million-pound increase over the previous year. “You never quite know who’s going to be struggling with hunger or who needs some extra resources, and that’s why we’re here, thanks to the generosity of Tomah Health Foundation,” added Tazelaar.
Foundation president Brian Eirschele said the donation fulfills the mission of the organization to support health and wellness initiatives in Monroe County. “It’s always a privilege to be able to help with our local community,” said Eirschele. “Our money is always given toward our local community in a health directive manner. Helping Second Harvest makes me happy, especially this time of year when I’m sure there are people in need. I can’t imagine any better program to give food away.”
The foundation has supported Second Harvest for the past 12 years.