BRODHEAD, Wis. (WMTV) – A small business owner’s idea to support a struggling food pantry turned into a parking lot packed with shopping carts, trailers and more than 25 local businesses Saturday in Brodhead.
The community held its first “Battle of the Businesses” Food Drive at Campbell’s Piggly Wiggly.
“With all the craziness that’s been happening, I really wanted to do something for our food pantry,” said Angie Arn of First Center Floral & Garden. Arn said she initially thought a solo effort at her shop would be modest.
“If I just did something at my own business, I’d maybe collect about 10 pounds of food,” she said.
That changed when she learned how sharply the need had risen.
“They usually only serve 50 families, and they had to close an hour early at the food pantry at Family Promise because they had to serve 70 families and ran out of food,” Arn said. She also contacted the area’s backpack program, which she said serves “about 90 kids every week” and “about 27 families on a weekly basis.”
Arn decided to challenge other local businesses to join her.
“We challenged every business, challenged three other businesses or organizations to show up. And in one day we had 20 businesses ready to go,” she said. “We wanted to fill the trailer and we’ve already more than filled this trailer. And we’re on vehicle #4 beyond this,” Arn said. “It’s way more than we expected. We’ve got so many more vehicles than this filled up already.”
Many kids also helped push carts and sort donations.
“All kinds of foods,” Wyatt said. Lennon added, “And it’s not even done. We have a lot more space to go!”
One young volunteer, Avery, said he joined because, “I’m really hoping that a lot of people out there don’t have food actually have food so that they can survive.” Looking over the packed trailers, he said, “Seems like this community is gonna live to see another day or centuries.”
For longtime residents, the event reflected Brodhead’s close-knit identity. Jennifer Elliott, of EXIT Professional Real Estate, said she has lived in the community most of her life.
“I grew up in this town since I was little… and I’ve been back here about 15 years, and this will be home forever,” she said. “It’s the people. We have a people like this, everybody is just very close knit and tight.”
Elliott said the competition remained friendly, with a shared purpose.
“Even though we’re competing against each other, it’s all going for one cause,” she said. “It’s just fun to go against your local friends and family and see who can fill the most carts.”
Arn hopes the effort shows how quickly a community can mobilize.
“People should just know that it only takes one person starting something and it doesn’t take a lot of time and you can really make a huge impact,” she said. “And when you get many hands together, it doesn’t take a lot of work to get it done.”
Winner Jeremy Pinnow and Associates filled 9 carts for the food drive.
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