I've been thinking a lot about food lately. It wasn't until 2019 that I became a properly good cook. Our first daughter was born in the summer of 2018, and as she was transitioning to solid foods I was determined to feed our family nutritious foods cooked from scratch. I loved learning about nutrition. That year I lost 40 lbs exclusively from moving away from a lifestyle of eating out and mindlessly consuming overly-processed foods to being the at-home parent who gets the groceries and makes the meals. The more I did that the more I enjoyed shopping for deals and tracking the average cost per meal per person. I'm a diehard Piggly Wiggly shopper and I regularly buy the store brand products, so my food costs in general are already lower than what they otherwise could be. When I started tracking the receipt data my average cost per meal was about $1.75. Fast-forward just five years to last week when I got groceries and my average cost is coming in closer to $2.50. That's about an increase of 7.5% year over year, although most of that price hike happened in the last 2.5 years. Regardless of the cost increase distribution, the fact is clear that the cost of goods sold are exceeding the average annual wage increases, which in 2023 was 4.4% according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
I enjoy serving food to others. Rotary has been a precious vehicle for these group opportunities. Through them I've been able to experience the Community Pantry, the Tiny Homes, the Day-by-Day Shelter and plenty more. The leaders of those organizations have all at one time or another come to educate our group about what each entity does in our community, and whenever we get the opportunity to volunteer we are able to interact with the guests we serve at each location. Some want to talk - plenty don't. And I can tell you that there is no one type of person that uses food assistance services. They come from every color, gender, background, etc. When I was volunteering at the Community Pantry last week I recognized former students and even a person in my neighborhood who I would have never guessed shopped there. Need can come from anywhere at any time.
There is no silver bullet to food insecurity. It is a problem that is tied to so many things, be it housing, income, education, etc. I'm grateful that there are many organizations playing their part to help feed our populace. I laud the people who administrate the SNAP foodshare program through the county, the Community Pantry, Father Carrs, and the many churches that regularly offer free meals. I think of the Scouts annual food drive, or other food drives throughout the community that help keep food insecurity on the minds of those able to help by donating. And although it often receives its share of criticism, I'm grateful to OASD for providing free food to students who need it. No kid can concentrate on an empty stomach, and far too often the meals at school are the only reliable source of nutrition for some of them.
Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something. Whether you consider it an act of service through faith or an element of your civic duty, there is always something that you can do to help. There are a few small yet specific things that the City can do to aid in this effort. One example to highlight here in particular is the current regulations surrounding things like "little free pantries" or entities like the Hope Fridge. I've messaged them for a project that I hope to pursue with my church later this year, and one of the items they flagged for my attention was City requirements for enclosures being so many feet away from the sidewalk. This, in my humble opinion, is an olive branch moment where the City could either modify or make an exception to the code. Current regulations make it difficult to set up a community fridge in many of the visible areas of downtown where the need is greatest. Small changes on this front could have a big impact on the way we address food insecurity as a community. I admired the Hope Fridge project, and I hope to see the return of community fridge projects in areas of need across Oshkosh. They are still going strong in Neenah.
After publishing another recent blog about imagining Oshkosh 15 years from now I heard a lot of good ideas from the public specifically about food. I'm encouraged by people wanting to fix the problem of affordable food options in the downtown area. Having good discussion is the start of finding viable solutions. There's a lot of love for Wagner Market or the Co-op, but they are seen as more specialty grocers with higher prices for niche (albeit delicious) products. Oshkosh might do it's populace justice it we were to entice an affordable grocer to locate downtown off of Jackson, off S. Main, or near campus. An Aldi or something similar that provides good food at affordable prices would be a hit.
As I wrap up my thoughts I'll leave this for your consideration. The measure of any society is judged by how it treats its weakest, most vulnerable members. Enjoy your next meal, and remember that there are always ways to share our bounty.
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Credit to the Co-Op
I mean it when I say that having good discussion is the start of finding viable solutions. Good discussion isn't limited to face-to-face conversations either, in fact I had an impactful moment with a champion of the Co-op in the comment section of a Facebook post shortly after publishing this original entry. Brenda Haines reached out in such a thoughtful, collaborative, and informative way that moved me to include this edit. For posterity so that her comments don't get lost in the nether of one Facebook comment destined to get buried by another, I'd like to share our brief back & forth here. It adds to the conversation of addressing food scarcity and working hard to be a good community partner. It's so refreshing to see such a well-written detailed response. Thank you, Brenda!
Thank you for drawing attention to this important topic! As an Oshkosh Food Co-op Board Member and volunteer, I wanted to share a few of the ways people can save by shopping at the Co-op!
* Food for All - This program, funded in part via Round up at the Register, provides a 20% discount on all purchases (except alcohol) for shoppers with limited incomes. Interested shoppers can enroll online at www.oshkoshfoodcoop.com/all
* Flash Sales - The Co-op crew searches each week to find great deals on meat, produce, grab 'n go and more. These are special purchases offered Thursday-Sundays, while supplies last.
* Fresh Deals - These are typically produce items. The Co-op crew does price comparisons with chain grocery stores and, as time allows, publishes the comparison prices on social media, so people can see how much they can save.
* Co+op Deals - These are typically packaged grocery items. The Co-op crew does price comparisons with chain grocery stores.
* Bulk - The Co-op's Bulk Aisle allows shoppers to purchase as much or as little as they need. Often, bulk pricing on basics like oatmeal, dried beans, etc. are lower than buying these items packaged from another grocery store.
The best deals are included in a weekly email to member-owners and email subscribers. Anyone can subscribe by visiting the website at https://www.oshkoshfoodcoop.com/weekly_shopper_email_sign_up
As you rightly note in your post, food security is a complex issue. Co-op shoppers have also participated in campaigns to donate goods to the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry, via the GiftAMeal program, BOGO deals for Back-to-School and more.
Building a strong local food system is part of the Co-op's vision, so the local community can eventually gain more control over the availability of and prices it pays for groceries. The importance of this was most apparent last year with locally produced egg prices remaining stable when prices for national brands skyrocketed.
There's always so much to share ... if anyone has questions about any of the above, happy to answer them! Thank you for being a member-owner and caring about food security in the community.
Brenda Haines and Molly Norton Smiltneek, these are excellent things to highlight, and anyone reading this thread would do well to look into any of the items you’ve noted. Thank you for sharing! I’m also a co-op member who rounds up at the register and appreciates the charitable works of the store. Still though, the point that I was making in that one paragraph of the blog is that there’s a perception that the co-op an expensive or even exclusive grocery option despite the tagline “everyone’s welcome” in the logo.
Do you have data to share that you’re reaching the general membership levels or food for all enrollment levels that you were aiming for? It would be fair for me to make an edit and include some of that information. What would you, as board members or strong supporters of the co-op, say to people who make purchasing decisions first on price?
Great questions! You are correct - the Co-op has faced challenges in terms of price perception. That's why it's so important to share how much focus the Co-op crew is putting on ensuring affordable options are available. Here are some data we're watching to ensure progress continues.
To answer your question about what we'd say to someone who asks about pricing:
In the last four months, the Co-op's new store leader has introduced many, many, many new products and has been extremely focused on ensuring price competitive options are available. For someone interested in validating that, Google reviews on pricing during that time gives a clue to how those changes are being perceived.
Here are some excerpts:
"Keep an eye on their flash sales for excellent deals!"
"Check out flash sales for awesome prices, good prices on many staples, too."
"Flash sale deals are fantastic sale prices. They also stock conventional as well as organic in many categories."
"I can always be assured I will find local, organic food & products that meet & beat other local grocery stores."
Now, to your question about Food for All:
In 2023, 73 individuals and families enrolled in the Food for All saved 20% on all purchases (except alcohol) during a total of 905 shopping trips at the Co-op. A volunteer committee - the Food Justice Committee - is actively working to spread the word about the program and encourage people to enroll by meeting with non-profit organizations to share with them about the program and encourage their program participants to enroll. If you know a non-profit that would benefit from knowing more, please PM the Co-op!
To answer your question about reaching the general public:
We know that people still have questions about whether they need to be a member-owner to shop. It's important to continue to spread the word that EVERYONE is welcome to shop at the store. The deals are available for everyone, too!
There are promising signs that message is getting out. In a typical week, 50%+ of the shoppers are what you've termed the general public in your post above. Some may have come in only once or twice to get eggs when their regular grocery store's prices were as much as double the price. Others shop weekly.
The Co-op conducted research in early 2022 to learn where shoppers were coming from and found that the central city was actually drawing a larger share of shoppers than anticipated in the original market study.
A few other promising nuggets to share:
Food security can also be addressed by building a stronger local economy. The Co-op purchased $261,000 in products from local suppliers in 2022. (We're still finalizing the data from 2023 and will release it at the annual meeting later this year.) Those are dollars that stay in the community, helping support the growth of locally owned businesses. It's a different - yet equally important pathway - to building a stronger community.
All of this is to share that progress is being made, not to say the work is complete. There is so much more we can do together to address food insecurity in the community.
We know from interviewing developers during the organizing phase of the work that many people tried (unsuccessfully) to recruit other grocery stores to the central city. In fact, doing so was a part of the City's downtown redevelopment plan for more than 20 years. This progress was only possible because so many community-minded people like you helped make it happen. By continuing to work together as a Co-op team (member-owners, volunteers and shoppers/general public), we can continue to improve and bring better options to the central city.
Again, thank you for giving visibility to this incredibly important issue. If you have additional questions, please do reach out. We're more than happy to answer them!
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