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June 5, 2020COVID-19 has disrupted our way of life in more than a few significant ways, including our access to food. Forward 4 Families (F4F) in a few short weeks has stepped up to help close the gaps to make it safer and easier to get food to all families in need.
“Our focus is on safely getting food to families while reducing the viral spread and supporting our local economy. I knew when we started this would not be easy and could very well be one of the most challenging problems we’ve ever tackled.”
– Dan Costello, Director and President of F4F
A pandemic is scary enough. Getting food shouldn’t be.
F4F is connecting suppliers and producers of local food with families in need in a safe, secure and reliable way. It also supports producers by helping all the challenges of quickly and safely getting food to market. F4F’s goal is to make safe, affordable food deliveries available to all Madison-based families, regardless of socioeconomic status.
“We are building a community focused, resilient food supply that is efficient and can sustain even during times of massive disruption.”
– Zach Henderson, FarWell Senior Advisor & F4F Director and Treasurer
COVID-19 is disrupting the food supply chain.
Michelle Miller, Associate Director, UW-Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems identified and shared the impact that COVID-19 is having on the food supply chains:
“Disruption to food supply chains from COVID-19 is catastrophic to many independent businesses, from farmers who sell direct to restaurants to food distributors who sell to institutions.”
“The way the system is structured, large companies are positioned to knock out independent businesses that serve our local farmers, rural towns, and small cities and accelerate reduced resilience in the system. Now more than ever, we need a reasoned approach, based on data, to fairly distribute food and federal aid.”
Forward 4 Families connects local food providers and producers to a powerful distribution network.
Forward 4 Families is a public/private partnership creating a logistical framework to centralize food options and provide no-contact delivery to help keep our communities safe. The F4F vision is accessible and efficient doorstep delivery that is available to all, connecting business, people and families, and helping drive local economies at a global scale.
In addition to providing safe, reliable food options for families, F4F is focused on supporting the local economy. What started as an idea to help local restaurants stay open has expanded to a vision of helping all local providers of food and their distribution partners: farmers, food producers, grocery stores, and other food sources.
Since the beginning, we have collaborated with many organizations involved in the local food supply chain disruption. Michelle Orge, President/CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin has been an active and early supporter of our efforts:
“This new ‘final mile’ service model that Forward 4 Families (F4F) has developed has great potential to help us meet the needs of thousands of people who don’t currently access opportunities for food support because of transportation, health barriers, work, or school hours.The no-contact way F4F delivers food will reduce the need for vulnerable populations to go out in public, help maintain adherence to social distancing guidelines, and ultimately make our community safer.”
Forward 4 Families is built locally, powered by a partnership between FarWell and Acumium.
F4F is not only focused on supporting communities but is built locally, with a leadership team that comes from the Madison business community.
Costello is Founder and CEO of Acumium, a digital design, development, and marketing agency.
Steve McQuin, F4F Director and Vice President is Co-Founder, President, and Chief Innovation Officer at FarWell, an advisory firm with a focus on helping organizations navigate complex change.
Henderson is a Senior Advisor at FarWell, a key member of its innovation team and someone who thrives on solving complex problems.
Both companies are strong supporters of community causes, with team members active in a variety of community and non-profit efforts. Costello and Henderson have brought energy, passion and dedicated time to gaining momentum and scale in a very short period of time.
“The need is urgent, and the complexity will grow. Building the system now will help us learn, adapt and scale.”
– Zach Henderson, FarWell Senior Advisor & F4F Director and Treasurer
Wisconsin food providers, food producers and delivery partners are teaming up and getting involved.
F4F has been quickly adding partners and participants in the system, launching initial deliveries only weeks after their first planning meeting.
Current Forward 4 Families Partners Include:
Though built for the immediate need, the F4F team believes it will endure well beyond the current crisis.
“Economic disruptions create a misalignment of resources and shine a light on the gaps in the national, regional and local supply chains. There is a great opportunity to rally our community around a food system that can withstand these shocks, while also supporting our local economy.”
– Steve McQuin, F4F Director & Vice President, and Co-Founder, President, & Chief Innovation Officer at FarWell
F4F deliveries, in partnership with River Food Pantry, started in mid-April, 2020. Consumers will be able to purchase restaurant meals, boxes of essential food staples, and farm to table food offerings on the Forward 4 Families website.
If you would like to become a community partner or know of a family who would benefit from a delivery, sign up to get involved.