This just in via Barb Huntington, from Betsy Pruett at the Department of Public Instruction:

The Department of Public Instruction is excited to announce the availability of a second summer VISTA grant for communities across Wisconsin. This grant will allow us to sponsor 20-30 summer VISTAs across the state to serve your site (at NO cost) for 8 weeks to work on the following types of issues:
  • Benefit (i.e. foodshare) outreach, screening and application assistance
  • Farmers market and community garden development
  • Facilitate community nutrition education workshops
  • Improve the participation rates and efficacy of Summer Food Programs
  • Assist in the collection and distribution of food at area food banks

The focus must be on hunger, but if there are other activities that you feel might relate, please let me know. We are open to placing VISTAs at schools, non profits, libraries, or other community based organizations. At this time we are trying to get a sense of how many sites might be interested in having summer volunteers to do this kind of work. Please let me know if you would be interested.

Contact Betsy Pruett: 608-267-7290 betsy.prueter @ dpi.wi.gov if you are interested!