Rep. Shelia Stubbs, Congressman Mark Pocan, Sen. Minority Leader Hesselbein, Sen. Melissa Ratcliff, Community Partners Host FoodShare Press Event

Madison, WI – Yesterday, Representative Shelia Stubbs held a press and food collection event with Congressman Mark Pocan, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, Senator Melissa Ratcliff, Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Madison CEO and Executive Director Julie Bennett, Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Madison Senior Director of Client Services Chris Kane, Willy Street Co-op Customer Experience Manager Kristina Kuhaupt, and other community partners at the Middlecamp Center for Vincentian Charity to raise awareness about the impacts of the government shutdown on constituents receiving FoodShare. Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:

“First, I would like to thank the Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Madison for generously hosting our press and food collection event yesterday. We are truly grateful for the work you are doing daily to support families in our community, especially those impacted by the impending loss of FoodShare benefits.

According to Feeding America, 1 in 8 people and 1 in 6 children in Wisconsin face hunger. Nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites, including 260,000 children, rely on FoodShare to get the nutrition they need to lead healthy, happy, productive lives. I am shocked and dismayed that as a result of the federal government shutdown, people across our state who use FoodShare will not receive their November benefits on time.

The current federal shutdown means uncertainty and fear for our constituents. It means uncertainty and fear for our food banks, whose shelves are being depleted almost more quickly than they can be restocked.

This event is a call to action for legislators, community partners, and neighbors to come together in fighting hunger. From children getting on the school bus with empty stomachs, to seniors who are living on fixed incomes, food insecurity touches every corner of our state.

To show our continued support and commitment to our constituents, the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate Democrats held events across our state yesterday, October 30, 2025, to emphasize the need for decisive action from our congressional representatives to restore FoodShare and to collect shelf-stable items for our local food pantries. We were able to gather and donate numerous food items directly to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.

In the words of the late Congressman John Lewis, ‘The hungry cannot wait. Talk is fine. Discussion is fine. But we must respond.’

I want to thank our community partners for standing with us to demand action and ensure that quality nutrition is accessible for all in our state.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.