Freeze for Food race raises funds for Madison area refugees

By Shu Lan Schaut STAFF WRITER

The annual Freeze for Food 5K and 10K will return this March in celebration of Peace Corps Week, hosted by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Wisconsin-Madison (RCPV) and volunteer organization Open Doors for Refugees (ODFR). The RCPV absorbs the majority of race expenses and will donate all proceeds from the event to the ODFR for the seventh consecutive year.

The ODFR is a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to helping refugees resettle and welcoming them to Madison. The organization supports refugees by providing housing, helping with courses in English as a second language, assisting with pro- fessional development and job searches and more. The funds from the Freeze for Food race will go toward the ODFR’s food security programs and relief e orts for refugees in the local community.

“Madison’s low-wage earners are emerging slowly from the past two COVID winters, but the progress of refugees who lost jobs or who endure recurring illness seems more slow,” Ken Baun, volunteer general manager of ODFR, said in a press release.

“In addition, new arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine flounder as their status with the U.S. government seems shaky. We truly welcome support from the 2023 Freeze for Food to ODFR.”

In past years, a large part of the race’s profits derived from the support of sponsors and donors — including the University of WisconsinMadison’s International Division. Last year’s Freeze for Food race raised $14,500 for the ODFR. Since its founding, the race has raised over $127,000 for various non-profit organizations focused on food security, such as the Colombia Support Network.

This year, the RCPV will host a food drive for Goodman Community Center Fritz Food Pantry prior to the run. All pantry donations will be collected in Vilas Park, where the race is scheduled to start and finish.

The race itself consists of a 5K walk or run along with a 10K run, starting in Vilas Park and looping through the Arboretum and the neighborhoods north of Lake Wingra. Participants range in age and ability, from infants in strollers to dogs to lifelong runners. The 2022 Freeze for Food brought out over 300 runners and walkers, with a similar turnout expected this year according to race organizers.

Freeze for Food stays true to its name, the race’s motto being, “Our race is never canceled due to weather or pandemic!” The event has never been canceled in its 42 year history. Race day has been held in temperatures as low as -9 degrees.

The 2023 Freeze for Food 5K and 10K will be hosted on March 4. A virtual option is available in addition to the in-person run. Registration for the event is open until race day at 11:30 a.m.

By Nick Baumgardner STAFF WRITER

A survey released Monday found an overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites are worried about a ording future healthcare costs, pointing to a growing healthcare a ordability crisis in the state.

Community and labor coalition Citizen Action of Wisconsin released the results at a press conference Monday afternoon. The Wisconsin Consumer Healthcare Experience State Survey, conducted with the help of Altarum Healthcare Value Hub, found 81% of Wisconsinites worry they’ll be unable to a ord an array of healthcare costs ranging from elder care expenses to treating serious, unforeseen illness.

The survey also found nearly three in five Wisconsinites experienced one or more healthcare affordability burdens in the past year.

While barriers such as getting time o from work, transportation and lack of child care contributed to health burdens, healthcare costs remained the most frequently-cited concern. Just over half of respondents reported skipping needed care or tests, delaying appointments or rationing medication.

“There [are] extreme a ordability issues in Wisconsin,” said Executive Director of Citizen Action Robert Kraig. “Folks are avoiding care, people are facing financial challenges when they get care and people are having di culty even navigating how much a particular procedure is going to cost them, given the lack of transparency in hospital billing and the insurance claims process.”

For uninsured respondents, nearly half cited insurance being “too expensive” as their primary reason for lack of coverage. Of those who did manage to receive care, 39% struggled to pay the associated costs, resulting in depleted household savings, maxed out credit cards and forgoing key necessities such as food, heat and housing payments.

One respondent, a Medicaid recipient, reported missing their medication “all the time” because they couldn’t a ord out-of-pocket expenses for prescriptions not covered under Medicaid.

Another respondent, this time on private insurance, expressed concern over their plan’s lack of dental coverage. “I need caps over my front teeth, but my insurance will not cover anything dental besides cleaning, extractions and fillings,” they wrote in the survey.

Kraig accused Wisconsin lawmakers of failing to tackle the state’s developing health crisis despite high rates of concern.

“The survey data should be a wake up call to state policy lawmakers who have not prioritized reforms that would slow the healthcare cost crisis gripping Wisconsin,” Kraig said.

However, Democratic state lawmakers, including Rep. Kristina Shelton (D-Green Bay), are trying to change that.

Shelton and some of her Democratic colleagues plan to reintroduce the BadgerCare Public Option Act, a bill which aims to establish a cheaper, more-comprehensive public insurance option through BadgerCare for all Wisconsinites regardless of income.

“The results of this survey continue to validate what we know, people tell us everyday, and what we personally experience,” Shelton said during Monday’s press conference. “We have to remember that these are real stories of what people are facing everyday and this is on top of what working families are already experiencing.”

The bill also looks to build on the A ordable Care Act (ACA) by establishing a new, state-level online insurance marketplace, an ACA “basic health plan” for individuals without children making 133-200% of the federal poverty line. It would also allow small businesses to purchase health coverage at more a ordable rates through the state marketplace.

“[The bill] moves away from a healthcare system that’s driven by profit and instead it prioritizes the health and wellness of working Wisconsinites,” Shelton said. “My o ce is going to fight like hell for this.”

While the lowest income levels in society face the steepest hurdles to care, high costs are felt by a majority of respondents across all income levels. Of respondents with annual household incomes below $75,000, 62% reported a healthcare a ordability burden, and for those above the $75,000 line, at least 52% still experienced one or more burdens to care.

In addition, rural, non-white, Hispanic and disabled respondents across all income levels reported higher rates of cost-related burdens.

Still, 70% of respondents said the healthcare system must change. When asked to diagnose the system’s problems, they focused on price-gouging from pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and private insurance.

“The healthcare system is built to serve wealthy CEOs, drug companies and insurance companies who are making money off this profit model and off of our sickness,” Shelton said. “Too many of us, including everyday working families, are falling between the cracks.”

Shelton plans to reintroduce the bill this fall with renewed momentum surrounding healthcare costs.