Four years ago, a group of seven neighbors gathered around a kitchen table on a farm in Pierce County. They were hungry for a western Wisconsin where everyone could make ends meet, live with dignity, and have a voice in shaping the decisions that impact us. It was that hunger that led to the formation of GROWW.

We’ve had some exciting achievements this year, and as we celebrate the fourth year of GROWW, we want to reflect on some of our favorite moments.

Getting Out The Vote for the Supreme Court

We started 2023 with our sights set on the election of a new justice to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. With so much at stake, from election rules to voting maps to environmental protections, we knew we had to take action. GROWW members spent the months leading up to election day connecting with over 4,000 voters about the importance of this election!

Launching People Protecting Pierce

As an organization that started as a group of neighbors ourselves, the People Protecting Pierce campaign is a call back to the core of who GROWW is. This growing group of neighbors saw the rapidly expanding presence of corporate CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) in Pierce County and the risks they brought to our families’ health, properties, resources, and rural way of life. The work of People Protecting Pierce has led to the formation of a Groundwater Advisory Committee and the passing of a stronger Waste Storage Ordinance in our county. 

The People Protecting Pierce campaign is working now to connect with more neighbors and determine the best course of action to protect our rural way of life.

The continued fight for Final Five

This year, Bridge the Divide was all over Western WI. From campuses to backyards filled with neighbors to the occasional gun show to community centers across our seven-county area, members shared the process of Final Five Voting and what it can do for our election cycle.

With Senate Bill 538 and Assembly Bill 568, both pushing for Final Five Voting to be implemented, being introduced with bipartisan support, we are closer than ever to a democracy that works and works for us.