Planting the Seeds of Change

Published On: January 31st, 2024Categories: Post

Dan Taivalkoski has been helping to feed people for most of his life, in one way or another. He once worked for a food service company, then as the manager of a small restaurant in Racine. He has now been the executive director of the Racine County Food Bank for two decades.

And as director, he’s on a mission. The goal? To help neighbors facing food insecurity.

Dan knows that any food is important, but he’s also passionate about teaching neighbors about nutrition. “Our focus now is more on getting some items that truly have nutritional value that will help these clients. We work with the nutrition education program, and they will visit the pantries and hand out recipes and do samplings,” he explains.

“We got a Partnership for a Healthier America grant two years ago to focus on fresh produce. We’ve been kind of incorporating that into our thing,” he continues.

They also collaborate with groups like UW Extension’s Master Gardener Program, which runs two community gardens. One small teaching garden at the Racine warehouse allows them to demonstrate container gardening methods. The other larger garden a mile away generates bigger yields. Together, they produce about 15,000 pounds of food like tomatoes, berries, and more. And this fresh produce can go directly to families in need.

Recently, the Racine County Food Bank merged with Kenosha County’s fledgling operation. With shared staffing and equipment bought with a grant from Feeding America, they now supply around 10 Racine pantries and four Kenosha pantries with food. Together, they serve around 2,000 households, or about 6,000 neighbors.

And Dan recognizes the reality — that food insecurity can happen to anyone: “You look at the demographic data and it’s all over the board in terms of age groups … seniors living on a fixed income that maybe just need a little hand up to get them through … folks that just never got the education or don’t have the social skills to become employed, we see that a lot … it affects all walks of life.”

Because of your support, Dan and the Racine County Food Bank can keep serving those who come to them for help … one fresh tomato at a time. Thank you!