1,500 volunteers pack nearly 300,000 pounds of rice to help fight hunger in NE Wisconsin. Posted: Sep 17, 2026 / 04:51 PM CDT Updated: Sep 17, 2026 / 04:52 PM CDT OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) - Hundreds of volunteers filled the Oshkosh Arena Thursday, but instead of cheering from the stands, they were scooping, weighing, and packing rice for families across Eastern Wisconsin. The ninth annual Feed the Body, Feed the Soul event brought together roughly 1,500 volunteers with a goal of packaging nearly 300,000 pounds of rice in just 12 hours. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin will distribute the rice through food pantries across its 35-county service area. "What we're seeing is just an uptick in food insecurity over the past couple of years," said Liz Wollenberg, chief systems and strategies officer for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. "As anyone knows, going to the grocery store will cost you a lot more than it did a few years ago." Wollenberg said rice is particularly valuable for families because it is shelf-stable, easy to store, and pairs well with a variety of other foods. The event, founded by Oshkosh Corporation in partnership with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, combines the volunteer work with live music from NEW Dueling Pianos. Greg Vandenberg was among the U.S. Venture volunteers taking part Thursday. "You're able to do something really repetitive, so you're actually able to have great conversations, laugh a lot," Vandenberg said. "We do a lot of singing. Some people are even dancing a little bit." The event has packaged more than 1.4 million pounds of rice over its first eight years. Oshkosh Corporation Chief Marketing Officer Brian Brandt said the event began nine years ago with the idea of bringing the community together while making a large impact in a short amount of time. Organizers are already setting their sights on next year's 10th anniversary. "We want to crest 2 million pounds over the ten years and 10,000 volunteers," Brandt said. "And we're on track to do that." The nearly 300,000 pounds of rice packed Thursday will now make its way through Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin's network of food pantries to help families across the region. WFRV will update this story as necessary.

Dollar General builds on Feeding America partnership. The retailer highlights local hunger-relief efforts after contributing more than $6 million and helping provide the equivalent of 95 million meals since 2019. September 1, 2026. 10:19 AM GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. - Dollar General is using Hunger Action Month to spotlight its expanding partnership with Feeding America and the local food banks and hunger-relief organizations that are working to address food insecurity in communities across the country. With nearly 48 million Americans facing food insecurity, the retailer said its network of more than 21,000 stores and 34 distribution centers gives it an unusual ability to support hunger-relief efforts at the local level. Dollar General stores and distribution centers provide food donations to Feeding America partners, while the company also provides financial support and employee volunteer assistance. Since 2019, Dollar General has contributed more than $6 million in financial support to Feeding America and its local food banks, which serve more than half of U.S. counties. Food donated through the retailer's stores and distribution centers during that period has helped provide the equivalent of more than 95 million meals. In July, Dollar General marked another year of the partnership with a $1 million donation to Feeding America to support hunger-relief efforts nationwide. During Hunger Action Month in September, the retailer is highlighting several examples of how the partnership operates at the community level. In Bennington, Vt., a Dollar General store provides food donations, including fresh dairy products, to Meals on Wheels of Bennington County. The organization delivers meals to people aged 60 and older, as well as to adults with disabilities under age 60. "Dollar General's partnership with Meals on Wheels of Bennington County has made a meaningful difference in our ability to serve older adults throughout our community," said Ilsa Svoboda, executive director of the organization. "Our volunteers regularly pick up donated food that helps us provide nutritious meals while stretching our resources even further." Svoboda added that the partnership extends beyond providing food by demonstrating to older residents that their community continues to support them. Meals on Wheels of Bennington County works with Vermont Food Bank, a Feeding America affiliate. Through the first part of 2026, Vermont Food Bank received more than 33,500 pounds of food from Dollar General stores. Dollar General is making a similar contribution in northeast Ohio, where its Zanesville distribution center and area stores provide shelf-stable groceries, fresh produce and other food to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. One in six people in the food bank's service territory currently faces food insecurity. "It takes all of us to fight hunger," said Karen Pozna, director of communication and events at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. "The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is incredibly grateful for partners like Dollar General whose generous donations help provide nutritious food to neighbors facing hunger across our community." The Greater Cleveland Food Bank served more than 404,000 people during fiscal 2025 across Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties, making it northeast Ohio's largest hunger-relief organization. Dollar General employees are also contributing through volunteer work. In July, operations leaders supporting the retailer's eastern Wisconsin stores volunteered with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, helping repack 7,000 pounds of food for distribution to people across 35 counties. "When we come together to live out our mission of Serving Others, even a few hours of work can create a big impact," said Morgan Thompson, Dollar General's retail regional director of operations. "It was a rewarding opportunity to give back and make a difference in the communities Dollar General serves every day." Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin supports nearly 600 hunger-relief partners and community-based programs serving metropolitan, suburban and rural communities. From January through July, Feeding America food banks across Wisconsin received nearly 470,000 pounds of donated food from Dollar General stores and the company's Janesville distribution center. Dollar General's hunger-relief efforts are part of a broader strategy to increase access to affordable food in the communities it serves. The company now sells fresh produce in more than 7,000 stores, which it says gives it more individual distribution points for produce than any other U.S. mass retailer or grocer. The retailer also serves as a USDA National Strategic Partner through the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion's Nutrition Communicators Network. Through that relationship, Dollar General provides "Better For You" food options, educational resources and health and wellness products and services. The company's extensive store footprint - particularly in rural and other communities where food access can be limited - also gives Dollar General an important role in the broader effort to address hunger. By combining that reach with Feeding America's national network, the retailer is seeking to translate a large-scale partnership into assistance delivered community by community.