‘Everybody Deserves Good Food’: Dunn County Pantry Reaps Benefits of Local Food Purchase Program

Since its founding in 1984, Stepping Stones of Dunn County has been an invaluable resource to those facing food insecurity in Northwest Wisconsin. In 2024 alone, Stepping Stones distributed 816,000 pounds of food through their food pantry, serving over 5,000 people in the Menomonie community and beyond.

Mike Racette is the Coordinator for Farmers Feed Dunn County, a Stepping Stones program that partners with Dunn County farmers for the purpose of getting a regular supply of local, fresh food into the hands of the community. In his role, Mike coordinates the receipt of food donations, some purchases, and Stepping Stones’ Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance (WI LFPA) Program grants.

As a beneficiary of the WI LFPA Program, Stepping Stones received local food deliveries through the WI LFPA Direct to Farmer grant. Mike was also involved with managing a 2024 WI LFPA Community Partner grant titled, “Farmers Feed Dunn County - Food Diversification Initiative,” which aimed to expand the Farmers Feed Dunn County program by acquiring protein from local producers and diversifying produce for distribution to underserved communities in Dunn County.

Over the last 38 years Stepping Stones has operated on the belief that all people have the right to nutritious food and that sufficient resources exist in the community to prevent hunger. Mike is proud of the work that Stepping Stones has done to serve the community.

“We’ve heard from volunteers and guests that the food at Stepping Stones is better than what they can get in the grocery store,” Mike said. “To me, that’s how I know this is working and we're doing well. My goal is to have the best locally grown farm products available because everybody deserves good food.”# # #

Read the full story and view photos here.

Wisconsin’s LFPA program is strengthening food and agricultural supply chain resiliency, supporting Wisconsin farmers, and distributing fresh nutritious foods to underserved communities. This project is a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Marbleseed, The Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative, and Wisconsin Farmers Union.