The Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association and Tractor Supply Company successfully distributed funds across rural Wisconsin. The donations come from a targeted holiday relief campaign, exemplifying the “spirit of neighbor helping neighbor.”
Through a $1,500 sponsorship partnership focused on Wisconsin FFA chapters, the initiative converted financial support into tangible relief. This includes milk, meat, and winter essentials for local food pantries and community members in need during December.
The partnership utilized a $500 portion of the sponsorship to secure over $600 worth of milk for local pantries, thanks to matching support from industry partners:
- Second Harvest Food Bank received 118 gallons of Sassy Cow Creamery Milk (valued at nearly $400) through a generous matching program.
- FFA students, advisors, alumni and supporters distributed over 90 ½ gallons of milk (sourced from Kwik Trip) to the Berlin Food Pantry, Columbus Food Pantry (via Fall River FFA), Soup or Socks Pantry Marshfield (via Auburndale FFA also included fruit & brats), and the Lancaster Association of Churches Food Pantry (via Cassville FFA).
Another $500 was utilized to purchase 50 Tractor Supply Gift Cards ($10 each). Waupun Tractor Supply Store staff distributed the cards to purchase personal care items and warm jackets for those in need.
Finally, WATA chose to reallocate the $500 originally earmarked for the association’s own administration and promotion. WATA directed all of it toward purchasing high-demand proteins for pantries in Columbus, Marshfield, Lancaster, and Berlin. With the support of Kwik Trip stores in those communities, this reallocated funding provided:
- 135 lbs of butter
- 20 lbs of bacon
- 120 pork chops
- 75 lbs of potatoes
“Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism is about more than just visiting a farm; it’s about sustaining the rural communities that feed us,” says WATA Executive Director Sheila Everhart. “By reallocating our own administrative funds and partnering with Tractor Supply and the FFA, we were able to put food directly on the tables of our neighbors this holiday season.”
