Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin is committed to equity, anti-racism, and justice. We know that food insecurity arises from overlapping and interdependent systems of oppression including race, gender, and economic inequity. These systems have been embedded in our public policies and culture since the founding of our nation, forging institutional barriers that create and perpetuate conditions that lead to poverty and hunger.
As we seek to understand our role in dismantling racial and other systemic inequities, we will work to center and uplift the voices and lived experiences of those – Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, LGBTQIA2S+ folx, single parents, and other minoritized identities – who most disproportionately experience hunger across our sixteen counties. And we will work to collaborate with and redistribute resources to communities with the lived experience of hunger and its root causes.
We know that anti-racist and systemic work takes time and that we will make mistakes along our journey. We will start by examining and addressing our own organizational culture and internal and external practices and policies. We take responsibility and accountability for cultivating a more just, equitable, and inclusive community.
Our Role in Addressing the Root Causes of Hunger
Second Harvest’s mission of ending hunger in southwestern Wisconsin cannot be accomplished solely by distributing more food or partnering with more food pantries. While these are essential services that help to alleviate temporary nutrition insecurity, food distribution is a part of solution, but it is not the sole remedy to ending hunger.
A comprehensive solution requires looking beyond the current landscape of hunger and understanding that there are root causes, many of which are related to economic issues. If policy makers, business leaders, and communities do not address providing access to affordable housing, health care, and thriving wages, then food insecurity rates will continue to remain largely unchanged.
In examining these root causes (as well as others), we see evidence that food insecurity disproportionately impacts communities of color because of systemic racism and discrimination. Racism and poverty contribute to a system that continues to maintain hunger rates around 10-12% of the U.S. population year after year. Enacting systemic change is necessary to dismantle the overlapping and interdependent systems of oppression that drive food insecurity.
As the largest food bank in southwestern Wisconsin, our role in addressing the root causes of hunger is not inconsequential. One way we’re focusing on root causes is by shifting the narrative from an individual problem to a systemic one. Reframing the narrative can help our community more clearly see that effectively addressing the barriers to food access is dependent on policy and structural change.
We use our scale to effectuate an intentional alignment of our business and operational interests with partners, vendors, and collaborators that share our commitment to offering thriving wages and promoting racial equity. Notably, we have implemented criteria to leverage our purchasing power by prioritizing partnerships we have with values-aligned partners.
In 2022, we invested in a compensation study that led to the increase in our base pay to $20 an hour, and we offer new employees a stipend to help cover transition expenses that may arise from changes in health care, transportation, and domestic assistance. To help ensure we are continuously building an equitable culture through access and opportunity, our Vice President of Employee Engagement & Equity joined in 2023 and continues to be a critical voice in how we do not actively contribute to the root causes of hunger.
Second Harvest remains committed in continuing to understand, identify, and participate in addressing the root causes of hunger. We invite you to become involved by using your voice and visit our Vote and Advocate pages, and check out Feeding America and Next Shift where you can learn more about the importance of root cause work.
Philosophy of Engagement with the Community
Second Harvest works to fulfill our mission in Southwestern Wisconsin through partnerships and collaboration. We seek to do our work through meaningful relationships that advance community-identified priorities. These relationships center the voices of groups that are marginalized and value community wisdom and assets. We believe in community engagement that is respectful, culturally responsive and encourages a sense of civic identity for all.
Accountability Updates
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