For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD – Rotary Winter Wonderland has moved their annual distribution forward by three months to meet immediate needs facing local food pantries.

The organization will allocate $40,000 to central and northern Wisconsin food pantries.

“Due to the health crisis, many organizations are postponing their spring food drives,” a committee release said. “Meanwhile the demand for the food pantries are at record levels due to the economic hardships in our communities. Food pantries have exhausted their food inventories and are purchasing food with limited budgets.”

The donation was made possible through guests and sponsors of the 2019 event season, and Rotary Winter Wonderland’s 14th season was one of their best, according to Chairperson Danielle Nystrom.

“The response of our community to ‘feed the need’ in central Wisconsin continues to amaze me year after year,” she stated. “Because of the community’s support, we were able to exceed our goals for both cash and canned goods in a very short (32-day) season.”

Rotary Winter Wonderland is a community-wide holiday celebration, led by members of the Marshfield Noon and Marshfield Sunrise clubs.  Since its inception, the project has contributed 670,000 food donations and $330,000 in cash donations to a network of food pantries from as far north as Phillips to as far south as Port Edwards.