Farmers are connected to the food they produce every day through caring for their animals and growing crops. They are also connected to their communities, through church, school and other organizations. 

One Edge member who is passionate about connecting families to their food is also passionate about helping others. Ashley Claussen, who farms with her husband, Josh, and four children in Denmark, Wis., started a program in her community to help alleviate hunger on weekends for children who don’t have enough to eat. 

Ashley is the founder and lead of the C.H.O.W. program, which stands for Cutting Hunger on Weekends. The mission is “to stamp out hunger in area schools one student at a time.” Starting its first school year, C.H.O.W. is under the umbrella of the Denmark Community Cupboard, the local food pantry.

Ashley was inspired to begin the program when her family moved to Denmark to start their farm. In Waupaca, they were involved in a similar program that serves five school districts and around 500 children. When she moved to Denmark, a rural community with about 3,000 residents, and found out that over 200 students in the district were considered “food insecure,” she wanted to do something to help.

“I was so surprised to find out there were that many kids in need in our local community,” Ashley said. “I know from being a parent that when kids have to worry about where their staples are coming from – whether it be where they’re going to get their next meal, the love and compassion they get from a family, or anything like that – their learning suffers because they don’t have the time to focus on school. They’re worried about where the necessities of life are coming from. Kids shouldn’t have to worry about adult things like that.”

Ashley’s vision is that students who are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program could participate, but there is not enough funding for this year to offer it to the number who need it. So, Ashley asked the school social worker to determine which students had the greatest need. The program is anonymous and the social worker and supporting staff are the only people who know which students are receiving it.

The program follows a schedule on a normal week. Student bags are collected on Tuesday from area schools, shopping is done on Wednesday, bags are packed on Thursday and food is distributed on Friday. 

“It also helps teach kids responsibility,” Ashley said. “They have to return their bags every week in order to be part of the program.” Students who do not return their bag for three weeks are dismissed from C.H.O.W. 

There are four “menus,” so each weekend of the month the students receive something different. Ashley worked with the school’s registered dietitian to create menus that would provide children with good nutrition, including plenty of protein and vegetables. 

The program includes a sheet every week that lists what is in the bag and suggestions as to how the items could be utilized for meals and snacks to help make it last through the weekend. They also receive a coupon for a half gallon of milk and a loaf of bread at the local grocery.

Requests for donations of specific food items are in local church bulletins, and the churches gather the donations. Somes donors give money. The group has hosted several fundraisers, including brat frys and a shoe drive and have also applied for grants. Ashley utilizes a Facebook page, brochures and word of mouth to share information.

She wants to grow  the program.

“Ultimately, I would like to be able to service all eligible students in Denmark public schools and open it up to local parochial schools,” she said. 

Long-term, Ashley has a different goal.

“I don’t want to see this organization in five years. We don’t want to have to have this kind of program. I’d rather see programs helping parents – finding a job, a car, how to write a resume, etc., so they can support their families and not be hungry.” 

Ashley’s advice to someone interested in starting something similar is, “Don’t be afraid”

“It seems overwhelming, but the support of people that come around you is great,” she said. “Not all of us can be generous with money but God has equipped us to be generous with our time. That’s how we give back. We want our kids to be involved with their communities and they are not going to do that if they don’t see it. There is an internal reward that you get from serving others.”

Learn more about C.H.O.W. by contacting Ashley at (715) 281-9265 or on its Facebook page.