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Handbags for Hope: Free Purses Bring Smiles to 24 Women

24 Handbags donated by Handbags for Hope

In March, Hope Center Pantry received 24 lovely purses that were kindly donated by an organization called Handbags for Hope. The Brown County, Wisconsin, chapter of Handbags for Hope was started in February 2016 by three teachers from Northeast Wisconsin. These gently used purses were filled with personal hygiene supplies and beauty items. Each bag was tagged with a forget-me-not flower logo. Handbags for Hope organizers chose the forget-me-not symbol because a lot of women feel like they are forgotten or overlooked. This flower reminds them of how special and beautiful they are.

Handbags for Hope Purse Distribution

With such a nice variety of handbags available, the women selected a purse that was perfect for them. The ability to choose a handbag added a critical level of dignity to the handbag distribution. The purses brought so many quiet smiles to the pantry clients. Handbags for Hope truly is a wonderful cause. It provides purses for women who might not be in a situation to purchase a purse themselves.

Contact Us to Organize a Collection Drive

Thanks to Handbags for Hope for helping address a need here in Brown County, Wisconsin. Hope Center Pantry was honored to receive and distribute this donation. If your school, business, or nonprofit is interested in organizing a food drive or collection drive for Hope Center Pantry, please contact us. Help us serve and guide those who are in need.

Hunger is a Problem: Matching Gifts Are Part of the Solution

photo of volunteers of all ages to represent corporate matching gift programs

Financial donations play a huge part in the Hope Center Pantry’s ability to run day-to-day operations. When the pantry receives monetary donations, pantry volunteers have the flexibility to purchase items that clients need the most. Typically, the greatest needs are food and personal hygiene items. The Hope Center Pantry takes pride in giving high-quality items to clients, who truly appreciate the free food and other items. Monetary donations allow the pantry to improve the lives of so many people in Brown County, Wisconsin.

Corporate Matching Gifts Programs

Some corporations make matching gifts to support their employees’ charitable causes. Does your company match your charitable donations? If the answer is yes, please consider donating to Hope Center Pantry. The pantry contributes to the food security of over 400 households each month, representing over 1,500 family members.

Cost to Fill a Box for a Family in Green Bay

When determining the size of a monetary donation to give Hope Center Pantry, consider how many families you will be feeding. Hope Center Pantry fills boxes of different sizes, based on the size of the client’s family. The cost to fill each box varies, but the approximate costs are:

  • X-Large family – $53.48
  • Large family – $45.10
  • Small family – $32.65
  • Single family – $21.61

Tax-Deductible Charitable Donations

We encourage individuals who work at a company-match corporation to donate to Hope Center Pantry. We will be happy to provide a tax receipt to give to employers as proof of the donation. Hope Center Pantry mails tax receipts for all donations over $250. For charitable donations less than $250, Hope Center Pantry will send a tax receipt upon request. Donors can email Hopecenterpantrygb@gmail.com to request a tax receipt. Please include the check number and date of the check in the email.

Feeding the Hungry of Brown County

The need for food assistance in Brown County, Wisconsin, is high. In January 2023, Hope Center Pantry served 471 clients – representing a total of 1,774 family members. In a community where hunger is a real problem, donors and matching-gift corporations like you are part of the solution. Thank you for your generosity.

Pantry Hits Record, Thanks Grocer for Holiday Food Drive

Chris and Janice Clemens, directors of Hope Center Pantry with food from holiday food drive

What a fantastic way to begin the New Year 2023! Save-A-Lot grocery store on Dousman Street in Green Bay organized a “Holiday Kindness” food collection. Save-A-Lot donated 85 bags of groceries to Hope Center Pantry. Hope Center Pantry is extremely grateful for this holiday food drive organized by this Green Bay West Side merchant. Special thanks to the grocery store’s management for organizing the holiday food drive. Also, thanks to Save-A-Lot customers who purchased and donated these groceries.

Holiday Food Drive Helps Pantry Feed 471

Events like this holiday food drive are so important, especially since the Hope Center Pantry served a record number of clients in January. Hope Center Pantry served 471 clients – representing a total of 1,774 family members – in January 2023. In February, the number of clients decreased a bit.

COVID-19 FoodShare Benefits Ended

Hope Center Pantry directors predict that the need for food assistance will rise again in the spring and summer. That’s because the federal government’s COVID-19 benefit program ended. Starting in 2020, FoodShare members received extra benefits each month as part of the federal COVID-19 pandemic relief program. The extra FoodShare benefits ended in February. Fortunately, with the help of donations like those from Save-A-Lot shoppers, Hope Center Pantry is stocked and ready to provide food assistance for residents of Brown County, Wisconsin.

Pantry Hours & Eligibility Requirements

Hope Center Pantry is open from 1-3pm Monday through Thursday at 505 Clinton St. Green Bay, Wisconsin. People accepting food are asked to present a picture ID and a current piece of mail. If either of these forms of identification is not available, clients can talk with the Hope Center Pantry staff to find other possible ways to qualify for food assistance. No income verification is necessary. Hope Center Pantry encourages anyone who is in a rough spot, even temporarily, to stop by the food bank.

Love Life Ministry: 1 Young Mom’s Vision to Preserve Her Heritage

Joann Vaile and other Love Life Ministry volunteers provide childcare items to families that are struggling financially
Joann Vaile and other Love Life Ministry volunteers provide childcare items to families that are struggling financially. The organization gives out diapers, formula, clothing, baby furniture, and other baby items.

Article by Pat Erdmann, Love Life Ministry volunteer | Photo by Timothy Mayer Artworks
At Love Life Ministry, we are so fortunate to meet so many wonderful young moms. It’s so rewarding to know that, with the support of our community, we can help them when help is needed.

Layette, Diapers, Formula & Baby Items

I’m a Love Life Ministry volunteer, and recently, I had a really nice conversation with one of our clients when she came in to register her new baby. On this visit to Love Life Ministry in Green Bay, we were able to help her out with diapers and formula for the month. A month earlier, she had received a layette for the baby. A layette includes knitted or crocheted blankets, quilts, and receiving blankets donated by compassionate and talented craftsman. She also received sleepers, onesies, bibs, burp clothes and other baby items needed to get started.

A Young Mom’s Vision for Her Child

The young mom and I got into a conversation about the baby’s name which was a native Menominee Indian name. We talked about preserving the language and being able to teach our children their heritage and culture.

Independent, Working Mom

As she was leaving, she told me she may not need to come back to Love Life Ministry too often because she was going to return to work soon, and she enjoyed being independent. I reminded her that we would be here for her whenever she needed us and wished her well with her new baby.

3 Goals of Love Life Ministry

We have three goals at Love Life Ministry, Green Bay, and we recently met all three goals when serving this young mom.

  1. Assist struggling families in the Green Bay area with meeting the basic needs of their newborns. – The mother left Love Life Ministry with the layette, diapers, baby formula, baby clothes and more.
  2. Provide Christian communities with the opportunity to support new life and demonstrate Gospel values through service and sharing of resources. – Love Life Ministry is an all-volunteer, ecumenical outreach ministry. Green Bay-area churches, community organizations, and individuals provide handmade blankets, baby supplies and funding.
  3. Give clients hope for a brighter future and a positive affirmation of life into our community. – This mother had a positive vision for the future of her child and looked forward to raising the child in the Menominee Indian culture and tradition. She expressed the hope to have the means of supporting herself and her baby.

Donate or Volunteer Today

Every week, Love Life Ministry, Green Bay, supports mothers just like this one. As an all-volunteer, ecumenical outreach ministry, we depend solely on the generosity of the community to sustain our nonprofit organization. Please consider helping low-income families, newborns and children in the Greater Green Bay area. We are in need, right now, of monetary donations to buy diapers, donations of baby items, and volunteers to fulfill our mission.

Truly I tell you, whatever you do for one of the least of these, you do for Me.

– Matthew 25:40

Youth Hockey Teams Rally to Feed Those in Need

Hockey players from the Green Bay Youth Hockey Association pose with food drive donations.

What do hockey players and food pantry volunteers have in common? In February, both were helping feed the hungry of Green Bay, Wisconsin. On Feb. 20, several boys wearing hockey jerseys showed up at the Hope Center Pantry delivery door. They represented the Green Bay Area Youth Hockey Association and donated five huge totes of food.

Green Bay Youth Hockey Association Food Collection

The Green Bay Youth Hockey Association collected the nonperishable food donations at Chaos at Cornerstone. The Cornerstone Community Center, 1640 Fernando Drive in Ashwaubenon, offers hockey programs for all ages, including youth and adult hockey leagues, skill classes, and instruction. Forty-two teams of players 8 years old or younger participated in Chaos at Cornerstone.

Raising Awareness About Hunger

Not only did the food collection stock the shelves at Hope Center Pantry, it also raised awareness about hunger in the community. The youth hockey community took action to share their food with their neighbors in need. Imagine the lessons about generosity and compassion that the young hockey players learned by participating in this food drive.

Organize a Food Drive for Hope Center Pantry

Interested in organizing a food drive for Hope Center Pantry? Check out this helpful 5-step guide to a successful food drive published by Feeding America. Feeding America partners with Hope Center Pantry to help feed the hungry of Brown County, Wisconsin. Businesses and organizations can organize a nonperishable food drive to collect canned food and boxed goods. Alternatively, they can organize a virtual fundraiser to collect monetary donations instead of food. Hope Center Pantry uses monetary donations to purchase items that clients need the most. Both types of food drives help keep the Hope Center Pantry shelves stocked and feed the hungry of Brown County, Wisconsin.

Thanks to GBYHA for Hosting a Food Drive

Thanks to the Green Bay Youth Hockey Association for helping address the food insecurity needs here in Brown County, Wisconsin. Hope Center Pantry was honored to receive the items that were collected at this food drive and distribute the food to Hope Center Pantry clients.

The Tennies: Called to Help, Share & Belong

Originally published by Decided Excellence Catholic Media in Green Bay Parish Neighbors

Article by Joan Koehne | Photo by Timothy Mayer Artworks

Sixteen months is a long time to be unemployed, especially if you have a baby on the way. That’s the scary predicament that John and Lynne Tennie faced 35 years ago. Lynne, a teacher, resigned to stay at home with the baby at the same time that John quit his job, thinking the next job was just around the corner. Little did they know that a recession was going to hit at the same time. The experience taught them an important life lesson.

“Pray, pray, pray and trust, trust, trust in God and his mercy and graces,” Lynne said. John finally found work managing Walgreens stores, a career that took the family to several different cities in Wisconsin. 


“This experience taught us that a house is not a home, money does not sustain you, and miracles are everywhere,” Lynne said.

In every city where they lived, John and Lynne Tennie sought out a Catholic church to worship in. 

“The parishes offered us community as well as ways to deepen our faith,” Lynne said. The Tennies have been parishioners at Catholic churches in Combined Locks, Fond du lac, Medford, and Waupaca. 

“Whether hosting a RENEW group, teaching a preschool religious education class, or exploring God’s word through scripture studies, we would feel a calling to help, share and belong,” Lynne said.

The last four years, the Tennies have been members of Nativity of Our Lord Parish where they team-teach a Confirmation class of 14 spirit-filled youth.

“Nativity Parish is a vibrant parish with many activities and outreach opportunities to be a part of.  John and I really like the openness of the parish and the way they emulate Jesus’ mission of loving others,” Lynne said.

Married for 42 years, the Tennies met at UW-Oshkosh. They were both in the same Speech class, and even though they commuted to college from different communities, they kept bumping into each other.

“We both loved to dance, which drew us to each other. We kept showing up at the same dance clubs,” Lynne said.  

Lynne, a Menasha native, graduated with bachelor degrees in Art Education and Spanish Education. John, who attended Greenville and Hortonville schools, earned a Business Administration degree with an emphasis in marketing.

Lynne taught high school Spanish and Art in Wild Rose, elementary and middle school Spanish at Holy Family School, and recently retired after 11 years teaching Spanish at Chappell Elementary School. John worked for K Mart, Hartford Insurance, and Walgreens, retiring after 35 years with the company.

The Tennies have four grown children and five grandchildren. They enjoy traveling, biking, and spending time with their family. Lynne loves to paint, draw and do crafts, while John loves professional sports (especially the Packers) fishing, camping and yard work.

John and Lynne volunteer at the Hope Center Pantry, NEW Community Shelter, and Chappell Elementary School, where they help first-grade and second-grade students with reading and math. They serve on the Cystic Fibrosis Walk committee in Green Bay and volunteer for events like the Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack and Make a Difference Day.

The saint they try to emulate is Mother Teresa because they are inspired by her love for others and these simple words: “Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us. It consists in accepting and following the will of God.”

In the Tennie household, mealtime always begins with prayer.

“We pray a mealtime prayer together at every meal to remind ourselves of the wonderful gifts God has given us. It seems like a simple thing to do, but it helps us sit down together as a family and treasure this time together,” Lynne said.

Gratefulness flows through their lives, and they encourage others to recognize God’s many blessings.

“Life is a journey,” Lynne said. “Do not spend it with a monetary goal in mind or cultural riches. Accumulate graces that will build you up and help you be the person God wants you to be. We were made for heaven – not for this earth”

Chris Kalishek: Pantry Volunteer’s Life of Adventure

Hope Center Pantry volunteers make a lasting impact by feeding the hungry in Brown County, Wisconsin. The pantry offers many different ways to volunteer. Here’s Chris Kalishek’s story of his life adventures that includes volunteering at our food pantry.

Hope Center Pantry volunteer Chris Kalishek in his restored a 1978 Triumph Spitfire sports car

By Chris Kalishek, Hope Center Food Pantry Volunteer

I have been volunteering at the St. Patrick’s Food Pantry (now Hope Center Food Pantry) for about six years and really enjoy the nice people I work with. They are all great folks.

Early Years and Educational Pursuits

I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and we moved to Green Bay in 1963. I went to Jackson Elementary School, Franklin Middle School and then graduated from West High School. After high school, I attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and then transferred to their new campus in Prescott, Arizona, where I earned an Associate Degree in Aeronautical Science.

Adventures in Aviation and a Passion for Sailing

I went back to school at UW-Green Bay and was working on my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry while working full time at the airport. I worked at Green Bay Aviation on the flight line, refueling airplanes. One of the perks of the job was a great discount on renting airplanes. So, I was flying a lot and earned my Commercial/Instrument pilot license.

I also got involved with the university sailing team and was teaching sailing at the UW-Green Bay sailing center. I raced sailboats on the Great Lakes as a crew member of the Fancy Free, a 39 ft. racing boat. I had the opportunity to compete five times in the annual Chicago/Mackinac yacht race where we set a record one year having made the 300-mile trip in just 27 hours.

Working with Hazelton Laboratories and Hewlett-Packard

After I graduated from UW-Green Bay with a degree in Chemistry, I took my first job in Madison at Hazelton Laboratories where I specialized in Environmental Chemistry. My next job was with Hewlett-Packard as an Engineer for their Scientific Instrument division. There I received training in electronic repair as well as computer programming and repair. I travelled all over the world with Hewlett-Packard and enjoyed 27 years working for that great company.

Organizing Vintage Scooters Rallies

While employed with Hewlett-Packard, I started a vintage scooter club in Madison and held annual rallies that grew every year. The last one had over 100 vintage Vespa meter scooters. I wrote articles for the European Scootering magazine where my club was featured. I also got a free subscription to the magazine.

Taking Flight in an Antique Airplane

I bought my first airplane, a 1946 Luscombe model 8A, and had the adventure of a lifetime flying it home from Manitoba, Canada. That was a 1,500-mile trip in winter in my antique airplane with no radios and a compass that didn’t read correctly. At the private airport where I kept the Luscombe, the hangar next door had a Sonerai racing plane. Because there was no door on the building, I would see the little airplane every time I was at the airport but had never met the owner.

The next summer, I flew my airplane to the EAA air show and camped out for a week under the wing. While watching the daily air show, a man came up to me and introduced himself. It was the owner of the little racing airplane. We talked for a while and then he informed me that there was a Sonerai 1 race plane for sale but I only had a few days to make the deal happen.

Formula V Air Thrilling Racing Career

Anyway, that was how I got into Formula V Air Racing and started flying in air shows around the country. I had a short but successful racing career being the first “rookie” to get a first-place victory on my very first race. I’m also only the second person to survive a mid-air collision in an air race. The only other person to survive was Astronaut “Hoot” Gibson. I built another racer but was never successful in getting the racing going again. I still fly whenever possible and I’m always looking for my next airplane. But in the meantime, I bought and restored a 1978 Triumph Spitfire sports car and I drive it as much as I can to all the car shows in the Green Bay area.  

Join Chris as a Food Pantry Volunteer Today

Volunteers provide an essential community service by feeding the hungry in the Green Bay area of Northeast Wisconsin. Thank you, Carol, and all of the volunteers at Hope Center Pantry. Contact us about volunteer opportunities or to schedule a visit to the pantry to experience volunteerism first-hand. The pantry is open 1-3pm Monday through Thursday at 505 Clinton St. Green Bay. Read the How You Can Help information to learn more.

The Selinskys: Singing & Praising God

Originally published by Decided Excellence Catholic Media in Green Bay Parish Neighbors

Article by Joan Koehne | Photo by Timothy Mayer Artworks

Thirty-five years ago, Nancy and John Selinsky prayed for a miracle. Their son, Nick, was born prematurely at 30 weeks. His lungs hadn’t fully formed, so the doctors didn’t give the family much hope. So, Nancy sought help from the Lord by praying the St. Theresa Novena taught to her by her mother.

“St. Theresa is known for answering prayers with what I call ‘the sign of the rose.’ When St. Theresa intercedes for you, you will see a rose in an unusual place,” Nancy said. This is exactly what happened. As Nancy and John left the hospital and crossed the street, John noticed a small plastic rose with a little rosebud attached.

“There’s your rose,” he said to Nancy.

“I still have it and keep it with Nick’s baptismal gown,” Nancy said. “Within days his lungs improved, and he was out of the hospital in a month.”

Nancy and John belong to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish where they both sing in the adult choir. Their son, Nick, also sings in the choir, and daughter, Chelsea, sang in the choir until conflicts arose with her nursing schedule.

“Music at Mass is very important to me,” Nancy said. “At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, we’re blessed to have an awesome young lady, Maria Hinnendael, as our choir director, several wonderful pianists, cantors with amazing voices, and choirs that always do a marvelous job helping the congregation praise God.”

In fact, music is what brought the Selinskys into the parish. John’s brother, Ed, was leading the adult choir in 1994, and John and Nancy decided to attend Sunday Mass before a family get-together.

“The music was so awesome that we became members the following week. We’ve been members ever since,” Nancy said. “No matter what Mass you attend, the music is always amazing.”

In addition to participating in music ministry, Nancy volunteers at the Hope Center Food Pantry, collaboratively operated by several West Side parishes, including St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

“I’m glad we’re able to offer food to people in the area that don’t have the money to shop and buy things the way I wish everyone could,” Nancy said. “It’s eye opening to see the needy people in the Green Bay area.”

John grew up in Green Bay and graduated from Premontre High School, while Nancy grew up in Manitowoc, attended St. Andrew’s through eighth grade and graduated from Roncalli High School. John and Nancy met at a bar called Little Chicago Inn and were married in 1976 at St. Paul’s Church in Manitowoc. Both of their dads worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.

“From the beginning, it felt like we were meant to be together. And it still feels that way,” Nancy said.

Nancy attended Bellin Hospital School for Laboratory Technique and worked in various medical clinics, most recently a cancer clinic. She retired six years ago. John worked as a service rep for Paper Converting Machine Company in Ashwaubenon. He traveled the world setting up new paper converting machines or repairing old ones.

John and Nancy spend their mornings working out. They like to run, use the elliptical machine, lift weights at the YMCA, or participate in Nancy’s sister’s Zoom exercise class. Nancy also enjoys golfing, reading, attending concerts, cooking, and playing with their grandson, Eli, 3.

“And don’t let me fool you. I also like sitting with my feet up reading the paper and watching TV,” she said.


Nancy is a self-proclaimed cat person, so the family always has a cat. The family’s first and second cats each lived 14 years. They were orange tiger cats, and both were named Herbie.

“Our current cat is also an orange tiger, but female, so no Herbie. Her name is Candy Girl, named after the Four Seasons song,” Nancy said.

The Selinsky family motto is simple – the golden rule. Treat others as you would like them to treat you.

Like all families, the Selinskys have faced their share of challenges in life.

“My faith helps me through all the trials of daily life, from which no one is immune. Whenever I feel like I need help, I say a prayer for direction, and my prayers have never been ignored,” Nancy said.

Like that day 35 years ago, John and Nancy continue to place their trust in the Lord.

“I wonder how we’d make it without our faith in God,” Nancy said.

The Clemens: Putting Faith into Action

Originally published by Decided Excellence Catholic Media in Green Bay Parish Neighbors

Article by Joan Koehne | Photo by Timothy Mayer Artworks

A North Dakota blizzard brought them together in 1977, and Janice and Chris Clemens have been weathering life’s storms together ever since. Janice and Chris were students at North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton, ND when classes were cancelled due to a snowstorm. Chris and a buddy were visiting a friend in Janice’s dorm, and Chris accidentaly ran into Janice in the hallway. The rest is history! They married in 1980 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Bismarck.

“Through the years we’ve had people tell us that we are so lucky or that we are perfect. We laugh and tell them this couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve had our share of difficulties and challenges,” Janice said. “But in our marriage, communication is everything. We talk through the things that we’re facing and pray about it. This helps us turn it over to God and do our best to work towards a positive outcome.”

Janice and Chris, now in their 60s, grew up in North Dakota. Janice earned an associate degree in computer programming and made her career in Information Technology (IT). She retired from Humana three years ago. Chris earned an associate degree in mechanical drafting and worked for McMahon Associates of Neenah doing civil drafting and IT support. He semi-retired two years ago. The Clemens are spending their retirement years giving back to the community. As members of Nativity of our Lord Parish since 1988, the Clemens share their time and talents in a variety of ways.

“If there is something that we can do to help someone out, we don’t hesitate to act on it, no matter how big or small. We try to show by our actions what it means to be a Christian,” Janice said. “It’s easy for us to do this when we have faith that the Holy Spirit will guide us along the way.”

At Nativity of Our Lord, the Clemens are a FOCCUS couple for engaged couples and directors of the Hope Center Pantry. Janice was a Eucharistic minister and choir member, and Chris is a Knights of Columbus member and Grass Buster, doing lawn and grounds maintenance. They deliver Homebound Meals weekly, and Janice teaches card-making classes and Healthy Living with Diabetes workshops. She also volunteers for the Ashwaubenon Parent & Preschool Learning program, Cormier School, St. John’s Homeless Shelter, and Junior Achievement. Previously, the couple was active in the religious education and confirmation programs. Janice sang in the Humana Christmas choir and served on Nativity’s Youth Board and Freedom House homeless shelter board.

“There are always new things that we can challenge ourselves to be involved in. And every time we do, the people are so welcoming and willing to show us the ropes. We seem to always end up getting way more out of it than we anticipated,” Chris said.

When hockey season starts, the Clemens house Green Bay Gamblers hockey players and serve as amateur photographers at the team’s home games.

The Clemens have two daughters, Jessie (Tim) Brovold and Kristen (Greg) Frie and five grandchildren, ages 9-14. Early on, they taught their daughters the importance of giving back.

“We taught them that the world does not revolve around them. Starting at age 8, they were required to pick something at church that they could volunteer at,” Janice said. “Even as adults today, they don’t hesitate to get involved wherever their talents are needed both at church and in their community. We are so proud to see these values now being passed down to our grandchildren.”

The Clemens enjoy biking, walking, and hiking. In addition to their shared hobbies, each has a favorite interest. Janice is in her glory when she’s in the kitchen.

“I love to share the deliciousness that I create with as many as possible,” she said. Chris is a jack-of-all-trades who likes to landscape.

“My passion is working out in my yard, especially splitting daylilies to share with others,” Chris said.

Faith is the compass that keeps them on the right path. Their favorite prayer is the Prayer of Surrender which expresses trust in the Lord’s incredible plan.

“We try to minimize the amount of worrying we do so that we don’t get overwhelmed,” Janice said. “We know that God will be there to walk beside us through whatever He sends our way.”

Allan Callahan: Retirement Leads to Volunteer Opportunity

Hope Center Pantry volunteers make a lasting impact by feeding the hungry in Brown County, Wisconsin. The pantry offers many different ways to volunteer. Here’s Allan Callahan’s story of volunteering at our food pantry.

Alan Callahan is a volunteer at Hope Center Pantry.

By Alan Callahan, Hope Center Pantry Volunteer

My name is Allan Callahan. It is my responsibility, along with Chuck Jolly, to pick up meat and food products from Feeding America’s drop-off point and deliver it back to St Patrick’s Pantry (now Hope Center Pantry).

Childhood Memories of St. Patrick’s

I’d like to tell you how Chuck and I got involved with the food pantry in Green Bay. I was a student at St. Patrick’s from third grade through eighth grade and have many good memories of that time, especially the sweet roll Fridays! I was also a paper boy during my grade school years, and that’s where I met Bev and Ray Kocha who lived just a few blocks from our house.

Volunteering and Making Connections

I attended Premontre High School and after graduation, I joined the Air Force for four years. When I returned home, I joined the Legion of Mary at St. Pat’s, and we visited patients in the hospitals. It was there that I met a young teacher also doing volunteer work, Donna Kessler.

Retirement Leads to a Volunteer Opportunity

Later, after I retired in 2008, I was to run into Ray Kocha and Donna again. My home parish now is St. Norbert College Parish, and after I retired, I was looking for a volunteer opportunity. There was a notice in our church bulletin asking for help at the pantry. When I stopped by the pantry, there was Donna – the in-charge lady! And Ray was making the food run to Feeding America, at that time located near Omro, and bringing it back to the pantry. Ray had been making the food fun for years and was ready to retire. So, I took over his job. After a couple years, Feeding America started delivering to a drop-off spot in Green Bay, making our job easier.

Positive Transformations at the Food Pantry

Chuck Jolly was a member of St. Agnes Parish and after he retired, he too responded to a notice in the church bulletin. We have a great working relationship and always find enough to talk about! Both of us have seen many changes at the food pantry over the years, and they have all been positive ones.

Building Relationships with Fellow Volunteers

Probably the most important part of this experience for me has been getting to meet and know other volunteers, all from a variety of local Catholic parishes. And Chris and Janice, the new in-charge people, are great people to work with.

Become a Food Pantry Volunteer Today

Volunteers provide an essential community service by feeding the hungry in the Green Bay area of in Northeast Wisconsin. Thank you, Al, and all of the volunteers at Hope Center Pantry. Contact us about volunteer opportunities or to schedule a visit to the pantry to experience volunteerism first-hand. The pantry is open 1-3pm Monday through Thursday at 505 Clinton St. Green Bay. Read the How You Can Help information to learn more.