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Beaver Dam company's donation helps food pantries, families
Food pantries have more empty shelves than they would like. Supply chain issues are leaving food resources scarce. But a Dodge County company is making sure no one has to skip breakfast.
BEAVER DAM, Wis. - Food pantries across Wisconsin have more empty shelves than they would like. Supply chain issues are leaving food resources scarce. But a Dodge County company is trying to make sure no one has to skip breakfast.
"There’s over 1,000 boxes of cereal here going out to food pantries in Dodge County," said Harper Mruk, executive director for United Way of Dodge County.
The Birds Eye Conagra plant in Beaver Dam is serving up cereal with a side of compassion.
"We produce vegetables for the community. But we also care for the community, and we’re not afraid to jump in and do what we need to do," said Gary DeVries, facility manager at Birds Eye Beaver Dam.
Gary DeVries
The frozen vegetable processing company adjusted to fill community need. Over a three-week span, employees conducted a cereal box drive to benefit local food pantries.
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"Cereal was one of the biggest needs they had. There’s a supply chain issue with not being able to get cereal on a regular basis to fill their shelves," Mruk said.
Harper Mruk
Mruk explained the donations will last a couple of months. Roughly 200 boxes are going to four local pantries and two shelters.
"Hopefully by the time they run out of this cereal, that supply chain issue will have caught up," Mruk said.
Hundreds of boxes stack up – fueling the local food resources programs – which in turn, will do the same for families.
"When we’re talking about food insecurity, we’re talking about kids. We’re talking about families. And cereal really is ubiquitous with our families," Mruk said.
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"Knowing it’s going to the Dodge County community, which is pretty much where all our employees reside in, it’s great because they know they’re helping maybe a neighbor down the street," DeVries said.
Birds Eye Conagra collected a total of 1,163 boxes of cereal.