Making a Difference Through Advocacy and Outreach
In any situation, Anita Garrett takes care of her family and her community.
Living in Milwaukee, Garrett plays an integral role in raising her four grandchildren, while making sure her neighbors, friends, and complete strangers have access to everything they need for a healthy lifestyle.
“As parents and grandparents, our goal is to make sure that there’s food on the table,” she says. “My focus is making sure no child — no child, not just mine — goes hungry.”
Thinking of her childhood, she remembers peaches picked fresh in her family’s backyard. The fruit’s sweet juice would “roll on down your face,” she remembers with a smile.
“I raise my grandkids the way my mom raised me,” she says. “We do fruit and vegetables. We like squash and broccoli.”
And like her mother before her, Garrett shows her love for others through food and makes sure that her neighbors have reliable access to nutritious meals.
As a member of the Food Leaders Lab with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Garrett fuels her passion for serving others. The cohorts of activists (in both northeast and southeast Wisconsin) come together and learn more about systemic issues causing food insecurity and how to counteract them with advocacy for hunger relief programs.
Garrett often showcases these learned skills on her social media, consistently posting announcements regarding food distributions. She texts mobile pantry times and locations to her network. If someone is new to visiting pantries, Garrett calls to walk them through when and where to go for what they need, whether that’s fresh produce, meats, or shelf-stable items.
“I’m not the only one who has food insecurities,” Garrett says. “I get up and do what I can do to help my next-door neighbor.”
Her dedication to making a difference earned Garrett a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Showing gratitude, Garrett tears up when discussing the trip.
“Who ever thought someone like me would have the chance to go meet the president and go to the White House?” she says. “I still can’t believe it.”
Garrett will continue her partnership with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and advocate and help people in her community who face hunger.
“My voice is going to be heard,” she says. “We have to speak up. Let them feel our pain instead of just pushing it out. We have the power.”
Because of your generous support, our communities’ voices can be heard. We are grateful for you!
