(Brown County, Wis.) – Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach’s 2022 budget proposal sets aside $5,000 in the Extension Brown County budget to team up with community partners to complete an Emergency Food Response Plan.

“Ensuring the resilience of Brown County in the wake of an emergency will contribute positively to the health and well-being of our residents,” says Streckenbach. “As government, we cannot prevent all disruptions due to extreme weather or other disasters, but a systematic approach identifying risks and setting priorities can help to minimize the effects of shocks and stresses, especially among vulnerable populations, which are likely to be disproportionately affected.”

In the event of a large-scale disaster, the Emergency Food Response Plan will have the procedure for helping to equally distribute food to residents of Brown County, to create a resilient food system that provides residents adequate and equitable access to food.

“Brown County Government is looking forward to working with community partners to develop a systematic approach to identifying risks and setting priorities which can help guide the availability and distribution of food in Brown County,” says Judy Knudsen, Area Extension Director, UW-Madison Division of Extension Brown County.

Our food system is a complex, constantly evolving, and interconnected system impacting all aspects of healthy life in Brown County. Food insecurity is a systemic vulnerability in Brown County that would be exacerbated by a large-scale disaster. Although food banks and other food assistance organizations were created to help people in need during times of severe financial constraint, they are supporting those in need for longer periods of time than intended.

“A lesson we’ve been reminded of over the past 18 months is that we cannot afford to take traditional supply chains for granted during global supply disruptions and disaster-level situations,” says Amanda Chu, Brown County Supervisor. “Northeast Wisconsin has so many incredible food assets, so I’m looking forward to participating in the process and producing a shared plan to coordinate equitable food access in times of extreme stress to our infrastructure.”

You can view Executive Streckenbach’s 2022 budget proposal online at: https://www.browncountywi.gov/government/county-executive/general-information/county-budget/. The entire Brown County Board of Supervisors will be holding its annual budget meeting on October 27th, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. at the Resch Expo.

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