Building a resilient food system that works for all takes strong relationships and support for communities and farmers. REAP Food Group, based in Madison, Wisconsin is doing just that, recently with help from the Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance (WI LFPA) Program. Since 2023, Farm to Families Program has received over $53,000 worth of local food through the WI LFPA Program.
In 2023 and 2024, the WI LFPA Program delivered $4.23 million worth of food to food access sites in every county in the state. The program found its incredible success through strong partnerships with farmers, food access sites, and community organizations, such as REAP.
“WI LFPA has helped in REAP’s mission of providing access to fresh local foods,” Paulina Baker, the Events and Local Procurement Coordinator with REAP said. “Because of WI LFPA and the farmers’ contracts, our ability to fulfill needs has been extended.”
REAP also benefitted from a WI LFPA Community Partner Grant in 2024. The grant project, called Grow Local, Feed Local, was led by the Community Action Coalition (CAC), in partnership with REAP and FairShare CSA Coalition. As a project partner, REAP assisted CAC in identifying and communicating with eligible producers through their farmer network and supporting producers throughout the funding cycle with wholesale readiness support.
Read this story and view photos on the WI LFPA website.
Wisconsin’s LFPA Program is a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Marbleseed, The Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative, and Wisconsin Farmers Union.
