Category: Donors

The Tooth Fairy Visits the Pantry

Joan Koehne
A girl holding an America's Tooth Fairy Dental kit

Besides taking away lost baby teeth from under a pillow at night, what else does the Tooth Fairy do? Well, let us inform you! On June 24, a huge box arrived at Hope Center Pantry. The box contained 100 “America’s Tooth Fairy” kits (also known as Smile Guardian Resource kits).

Oral Health Kits for Families

Each kit contained a toothbrush, toothpaste, brochure with oral health tips for the entire family, and an Action Hero activity booklet. The items are high quality, and the pantry appreciates the opportunity to assist families with dental hygiene. Hope Center Pantry distributed the kits to clients that have young children in their families.

Thanks, Patterson Dental Foundation

Thanks to Patterson Dental Foundation for putting together such a nice package to promote oral health! Patterson supports nonprofit community partners by delivering education, prevention and treatment services for underserved children. Every child deserves a healthy smile!

Kind-hearted Youth Donate Food to Pantry

Joan Koehne
Youth from West De Pere Middle School donate food to Hope Center Pantry

Hope Center Pantry is so appreciative of the food donations provided by the youth of the De Pere area this summer. We are extremely fortunate to have this type of support from the children and teens in the Green Bay and De Pere community.

Middle School Donates Food

In June, West De Pere Middle School dropped off two large boxes and two bags of food that they collected for the Hope Center Pantry. What a generous gesture this was. We love to see our youth doing kind things for their community!

Youth from Old St. Joe's donate food to Hope Center Pantry

VBS Students Donate Snack Mixes

In August, a group of boys who attended Old St. Joe’s Catholic Church Vacation Bible School (St. Norbert Parish) stopped by Hope Center Pantry. They dropped off 100 bags of snack mixes that they had made just for us! Our pantry clients were so grateful for the snack mixes. A big shout out of appreciation to all who helped package these.

The Pantry Partners with Youth Groups

Are you involved in youth ministry, youth sports, or some another type of organization for kids and teens in Green Bay? Would your organization like to give back to the community by volunteering or donating food or other items? By helping out the pantry, youth can develop a sense of empathy, learn new skills, and gain a better understanding of social justice. Contact us to learn more about food drives, community service projects, and other ways to volunteer. Help us feed the hungry in Green Bay.

Elks Care and Elks Share

Joan Koehne
Hope Center Pantry representatives accept $1,200 donation from Elks

At Hope Center Pantry, we rely on support from the community to feed the hungry in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Many local businesses and nonprofit organizations help us live out the pantry’s mission: “To serve and guide those who are in need. It is our responsibility to empower and support others.” The Elks Lodge of Green Bay is a loyal supporter of Hope Center Pantry. The organization’s website says it like this: “The Elks serve the people and communities through benevolent programs, demonstrating that Elks Care and Elks Share.”

Green Bay Elks Lodge Donates $1,200

Periodically, the Green Bay Lodge surprises us with donations of food, cleaning items and hygiene items that our clients great appreciate. In July, two members of Green Bay Elks Lodge #259
stopped by the Hope Center Pantry to present a check for $1,200! The Lodge has been a wonderful supporter of our pantry, and we appreciate the donation.

Exclusive Pantry Hours for Military Veterans

The Elks also assist us as we meet the needs of military veterans. The pantry welcomes veterans to the panty during our regular operational hours, from 1-3pm Monday through Thursday. Additionally, the pantry is open exclusively for veterans from 3-4pm on the second and third Tuesdays of each month.

Ask Us How Your Nonprofit Can Contribute

Hope Center Pantry values its partnerships with Green Bay businesses and nonprofit organizations. Unfortunately, food insecurity is a problem for many people in the community. In August 2024, Hope Center Pantry served 493 families – 874 adults and 749 children. Food banks like ours can’t do this alone. Contact us to learn how your business or nonprofit can sponsor a food drive, personal hygiene drive, or find other ways to donate to the pantry.

Stamp Out Hunger Delivers 10K Pounds of Food

Joan Koehne
volunteers who assisted at Stamp Out Hunger for Hope Center Pantry

On a beautiful Saturday in May the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) held their 30th annual Food Drive, called Stamp Out Hunger. The mail carriers pick up donated food on their routes for the pantries in their neighborhood. Hope Center Pantry is extremely grateful that our Brown County postal carriers collected food for the needy as part of their community service effort.

30 Pantry Volunteers Assist at Stamp Out Hunger

Our Hope Center Food Pantry received approximately 10,000 pounds of food from Stamp Out Hunger. Last year, we received approximately 6,000 pounds from the food drive. We couldn’t have done this without over 30 volunteers. They stepped up to help us with this huge food drive. Some of our volunteers followed the letter carriers to collect food donations. Additionally, some volunteered at the Post Office on Packerland Drive. They took the nonperishable food donations from vehicles and loaded the food into totes.

A Team Effort to Unload, Sort & Store Donations

One of our partner agencies, Serenity House of Green Bay, helped us out at the Post Office this year. The Hope Center Pantry volunteers unloaded the totes, sorted food and put food into our storage area. It was a team effort!

Thankful for This Annual Food Drive

Time and time again, we are overwhelmed by the generosity of our community to help out our Pantry clients that are in need of a little extra help with their groceries. The quality of the items we received from Stamp Out Hunger was unbelievable. Thank you to all that made this happen! To become a Hope Center Pantry volunteer for food drives like Stamp Out Hunger, contact us today. We’re grateful for the outpouring of community support.

Food Donations Pour in from Scouting for Food

Joan Koehne

What do you get when you combine troops of Boy Scouts and a dozen committed volunteers?
Answer: A well-stocked Hope Center Pantry, of course!

Hope Center Pantry volunteers prepare to process food donations from Scouting for Food

Boy Scouts’ 36th Annual Food Drive

The Bay-Lakes Council Boy Scouts of America sponsored the 36th annual Scouting Food drive on Saturday, April 27. Here’s how the food drive worked. The scouts dropped off empty bags at homes in their neighborhood on April 20. The bags included a list of suggested food items to donate. Then, the Boy Scouts collected the food donations on the morning of April 27. They brought the nonperishable food to Lambeau Field to be distributed to pantries in Brown County. (Check out our 2021 Scouting for Food report.)

Pantry Volunteers Process the Food Donations

The Hope Center Pantry received three full totes of food. Twelve volunteers waited eagerly at the Pantry to help unload, sort, and store the food when it arrived. In 75 minutes, we had the job completed. The proverb “Many hands make light work!” is true.

Thanks to the Boy Scouts & Donors

Hope Center Pantry appreciates everyone who donated to Scouting for Food. Additionally, we thank the Boy Scouts for running food drive every year. With these food donations on our shelves, we can help the hungry in the Green Bay community.

Feeding the Hungry of Brown County WI

In 2023, Hope Center Pantry served 370 to 590 clients every month. As the cost of groceries remains high, the Pantry provides valuable assistance to those in need. Hope Center Pantry is open from 1-3pm Monday through Thursday. We serve the hungry in Green Bay and Brown County, Wisconsin. Join us on our mission by donating or volunteering today. Contact us to learn more.

A Hunger Hero: Fortifi Bank Holds Food Drive

Joan Koehne
Fortifi employees with grocery bags from the food drive

Fortifi Bank pays out more than interest and dividends. Thanks to Fortifi Bank for helping address food insecurity in Brown County, Wisconsin, by organizing its second annual food drive. (Read about Fortifi’s inaugural food drive.) The bank is truly a hunger hero! Fortifi’s mission, “Growin’ Wisconsin,” is about making a tangible impact in the communities where Fortifi Bank operates a branch office.

Food Drive Benefits 10 Wisconsin Pantries

Over 2,800 food items were collected and distributed to 10 food pantries across Northeast Wisconsin, substantially improving upon last year’s results of 1,000 food items. This beautifully illustrates the bank’s commitment to its mission. The incredible response from the community has not only provided substantial support to their neighbors by helping to end hunger but also strengthened the bonds within their communities.

Community Donates Food for Hungry

The food drive took place between March and April, with 8 drop-off points located throughout Northeast Wisconsin. Community members were encouraged to fill grocery bags with ingredients for a meal and drop them off at one of the designated locations. The response from the community was overwhelming, with hundreds of individuals and families contributing to the cause.

Hope Center Pantry Receives 400 Food Items

The bank partnered with local food pantries to distribute the donations to those who need it most. The Hope Center Pantry was fortunate to be a recipient of over 400 food items on April 17. Our clients really appreciate the quality of the items that we received from Fortifi’s food drive!

Are you interested in sponsoring a food drive at your workplace or community event? It’s actually very easy to do, and the need is so great! Contact us for details.

Oodles of Noodles from Generous Donors

Joan Koehne
Donor gives noodles to Hope Center Pantry

Food donations come in all shapes and sizes. Plus, food donations come from a variety of businesses and nonprofits. For example, Hope Center Pantry received oodles of noodles in April, thanks to the generosity of two Green Bay donors. The mission committee at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center collected noodles during Lent. (Lent is a 40-day period in which Christians renew their focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.)

Donors Give Pasta Sauce and Noodles to Pantry

On April 9, the Manager of Mission Integration and Spiritual Care delivered a carload full of noodles and pasta sauce to the Pantry. This is exactly what the pantry was in dire need of! Imagine our excitement when the manager showed up with two large carts full of food. This donation is a wonderful gift to our Pantry clients.

Organize a Food Drive at Your Workplace

To organize a food drive at your workplace or community event, contact us. We welcome the opportunity to partner with your organization and its donors to feed the hungry of Green Bay WI.

24-Hour Impact: Give BIG Green Bay Raises $3M

Joan Koehne
Hope Center Pantry accepts $1,000 in gift cards from Give BIG Green Bay
Chris Clemens, Hope Center Pantry director, and Alicia Ulrich, Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin

The generosity of people in Green Bay continues to inspire us! Case in point, Give BIG Green Bay raised $3 million for local nonprofits in just one day in February 2024. Give BIG Green Bay is a 24-hour giving day that raises money for nonprofits in Brown County. The Green Bay Community Foundation partners with the Green Bay Packers for the annual event held in February. Now in its 7th year, Give Big Green Bay has donated $13 million to 138 nonprofits.

Pantry Gift Cards from Feeding America

Hope Center Pantry is one of the many nonprofits that benefit from the fundraiser. The 2024 campaign raised $50,111 for Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin. In turn, Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin presented $1,000 in grocery gift cards to the pantry. Alicia Ulrich, the Network Partnership and Eat Well for Life Coordinator at Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin, presented the gift cards to Chris Clemens, Hope Center Pantry director. The pantry will use the gift cards to purchase food at Mason Brothers’ Red Owl, a Green Bay grocery store near the pantry. With the gift cards, we have the freedom to purchase items that our Pantry needs the most.

Thanks for Supporting Hungry Families

Thanks to everyone who donated to Give BIG Green Bay. Your generosity is making a thousand-dollar impact around the dinner tables of families in Green Bay. To learn how you can continue to make an impact, check out our Wish List.

Grandpa & Grandson Deliver Food Donations to Pantry

Joan Koehne
Grandpa & Grandson, 4, Deliver Food Donations to Hope Center Pantry

Deliveries come in all sizes! The Hope Center Pantry is open from 1-3pm Monday through Thursday, and people will oftentimes drop off donations during these hours. When this happens, our volunteers ask if they need help carrying in the donations.

4-year-old ‘Assistant’ Delivers Food Donations

In March, a man came in the delivery door to grab a cart to collect his donations from his vehicle. He said that he did not need help because he brought his “assistant” along who could do the heavy lifting. It took a while, but eventually, the guy wheeled in an overloaded cart. How could you not smile when you saw his proud assistant?

7 Green Bay Catholic Churches Support Pantry

The job of this adorable 4-year-old boy was to climb up into his grandfather’s truck bed and hand him the food donations so his grandfather could place them on the delivery cart. These items were donated by St. Jude Catholic Church, Green Bay. St. Jude is one of seven West Side Green Bay Catholic churches that supports Hope Center Pantry. St. Jude held a “40 cans for Lent” challenge and donated the canned food to Hope Center Pantry.

Heartwarming Moment Unfolds

Grandpa was beaming with pride, and the little boy showed off his muscles to all of the volunteers at Hope Center Pantry. There truly is so much goodness in the world!

Time to Party! Green Bay Catholic Youth Fill Birthday Bags

Joan Koehne
birthday bags filled by Catholic youth for Hope Center Pantry

In recent years, Hope Center Pantry has benefited from the generosity of youth. We provide opportunities for teens to volunteer, manage the pantry’s social media, and earn high school community service hours. Here is yet another superb example of our local youth doing great things. Hope Center Pantry received 20 birthday bags for boys ages 6-10. Hope Center Pantry was in dire need of birthday bags for this age range, so the timing was perfect!

Birthday Cake, Candles, Toys

Each birthday bag was thoughtfully filled with a box of cake mix, a can of frosting, a pack of birthday candles, a box of theatre-sized candy, two matchbox cars, and another toy. Now can’t you just picture the joy these bags will give each boy who receives one? This gesture surely made God smile!

Catholic Churches Partner with Pantry

Students in the Confirmation class at Nativity of Our Lord Church, Green Bay, Wisconsin, filled the bags. Nativity Catholic Church is one of six West Side Green Bay Catholic parishes that supports Hope Center Pantry. The other Catholic churches are Annunciation, St. Agnes, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Joseph, St. Jude, and St. Patrick. These faith communities work together to help break the cycle of poverty in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Thank you for giving back to the community, helping others, and brightening kids’ birthdays.