Category: Donors

Food Insecurity: Pantry Serves 1,425 in August

Joan Koehne
Hope Center Pantry volunteers transport food to Green Bay to address food insecurity

Hope Center Pantry continues to see many new clients facing food insecurity in Brown County, Wisconsin. From January to August of 2023, the pantry registered over 500 new clients. For the month of August, Hope Center Pantry served 374 clients, representing a total of 1,425 family members. That’s a very large number considering clients are permitted to visit Hope Center Pantry just once a month to pick up food for their households.

1 in 9 Veterans Experience Food Insecurity

The only exception is for military veterans and active military personnel, who can pick up food at the pantry once a week. They fought for our country, and therefore, Hope Center Pantry supports them through tough times. Hope Center Pantry’s Veterans hours are from 3-5pm on the second and third Tuesdays of the month. According to Feeding America, 1 in 9 working-age veterans live in a food insecure household, and 24 percent of active-duty service members were food insecure in 2020. Hope Center Pantry is doing something about it, by extending pantry hours and staffing the pantry with military veterans’ needs in mind.

Feeding the Hungry in Brown County

Hope Center Pantry volunteers are committed to helping the hungry of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The pantry is working to end food insecurity, helping the hungry be hopeful and well-fed in Brown County. To be a part of Hope Center Pantry, visit How You Can Help for information about donating and volunteering.

Sweet Success: 2,042 Items Collected at ‘Thrivent Cans Hunger’

Joan Koehne
2,042 food items collected at Thrivent Cans Hunger food drive

Somehow the stars aligned, and Thrivent asked us about hosting a “Thrivent Cans Hunger” event at the pantry on August 29, 2023. We set a goal to collect 1,000 cans of food that the pantry needed the most. For every can donated, Thrivent committed to donate $3.00 to the pantry (up to $3,000).

Community Engages in Food Drive

We promoted the event in many ways. Thrivent dropped off bags at the Catholic churches in our area that are primary supporters of the pantry, our veteran contacts promoted the event in their monthly newsletter, we posted on our pantry Facebook page, emailed information to our volunteers, and lastly, Thrivent sent an event flyer to all Thrivent clients in our area.

Thrivent Clients Rally for Hope Center Pantry

Thrivent even hired an ice cream truck for the event, so everyone who dropped off food could have FREE ice cream! We had a beautiful weather day for the event, and it was an overwhelming success. In only three hours, we surpassed our goal by collecting 2,042 items! Many of the people who dropped off donations asked to take a tour of the pantry, and they were impressed by our set-up. LoveLife volunteers also provided tours of their facility.

Thrivent-Pantry Partnership Feeds the Hungry

We felt so honored to partner with Thrivent on such a successful event! If your business or nonprofit would like to host a food drive or donate to Hope Center Pantry, contact us. We are happy to arrange a community or corporate event. We appreciate community support. We couldn’t feed hundreds of people every month without the community’s generosity. For more information about Hope Center Food Pantry’s current food donation needs, view the pantry Wish List on the How You Can Help page.

So Handy: Baycare Clinic Donation Makes Food Transport Easy

Joan Koehne

On July 12, 2023, BayCare Clinic donated 500 sturdy canvas bags to Hope Center Pantry. Pantry volunteers use the bags to pack food items for single clients. The bags fit enough food for clients who are the only one in a household. Not only are the bags convenient for transporting food, clients keep the canvas bags and can reuse them as needed.

Reusable Bag Donation Supports Pantry Clients

The canvas bags are really handy for clients to carry food, especially if they walk or bike to Hope Center Pantry, 505 Clinton Street, Green Bay. Balancing a paper grocery bag filled with food on a bike is a challenge! Plus, paper grocery bags tear easily and are difficult to carry, even a short distance.

Consider Donating to Hope Center Pantry

Thanks to Baycare Clinic for the donation of canvas bags! If your business or nonprofit is interested in organizing a food drive or donating miscellaneous items to Hope Center Pantry, contact us. View our Wish List on the How You Can Help page.

Food Donation: Stranger’s Act of Kindness Fills Pantry Shelves

Joan Koehne
food donation to Hope Center Pantry from Green Bay man

The kindness of strangers sometimes stops us in our tracks. On July 20, 2023, we received a call from someone who wanted to donate some food for a good cause on behalf of his mom. He had called several agencies before reaching out to us because no one seemed to take his food donation request seriously. He asked us several questions about what we do at the pantry (hours we’re open, number of clients we serve, etc.). Then he asked us what our greatest current needs were at the pantry. We told him we were in need of food donations of pasta, canned chicken, mac-n-cheese, peanut butter and taco seasoning for our summer taco kits.

Surprise Call Unearths Extraordinary Generosity

He said he’d like to buy all of those items to help out the pantry, but he would need some assistance. So, the following day, we met him at the service desk as Woodman’s. After showing him our credentials for the pantry, we shopped at his direction. It took almost two hours as we eventually had several carts to maneuver. While shopping, we got to hear more of his story. He moved back to the area 40 years ago to be near his mom and help take care of her. They had a special relationship.

774 Pounds of Food Fill Pantry Shelves

When it was time to check-out, the total bill was $1,707.94. He purchased 774 pounds of food to be donated to the pantry, which filled an entire minivan! We had no words to thank him enough for the food donation and his unexpected generosity. We invited him to tour the pantry so he could see where his substantial food donation was going to be used. He said that he was sure that the food would be well-used, and off he went.

Goosebumps of Gratitude

We still get goosebumps recalling this extraordinary generosity and are beyond grateful for his kindness. Although he chooses to remain anonymous, he most definitely is no longer a stranger.

2 Champions of the Poor: Hope Center Pantry & St. Vincent de Paul

Joan Koehne
A toy garage built from a box that contained food delivered by St. Vincent de Paul volunteer.

Give a boy a box, and his imagination will do the rest! We’d like to share this heartwarming story of two charitable organizations working hand-in-hand to make a difference in the life of a family in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

St. Vincent DePaul Answers the Call

Several volunteers at Hope Center Pantry also volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP), Green Bay, Wisconsin. Recently, a SVDP volunteer took a call from a mother with two children. She was between jobs, her car broke down, she received an eviction notice, and her family was low on food. That’s a lot for anyone to handle.

Free Food from Hope Center Pantry

The St. Vincent de Paul volunteer scheduled to meet with her the following day for a full assessment, but it was obvious that she needed free food, immediately. It was 2:45pm on a Thursday (Hope Center Pantry closes at 3pm), and the SVDP volunteer offered to get her some food from Hope Center Pantry to help the mother and her children through the weekend. Hope Center Pantry volunteers promptly delivered a box of food to the family, and the mother was quietly surprised at the generous amount of food. Her little boy carried the gallon of milk into the apartment and came back to help some more. His eyes lit up when he saw the pizza and juice. The volunteer smiled and said she hoped they would enjoy it. He enthusiastically responded, “I’m going to enjoy ALL of it!”

St. Vincent de Paul In-Home Visit

When the St. Vincent de Paul in-home visit team went to the family’s apartment the next morning, the mother was making omelets with the eggs from the pantry. That was wonderful to see, but that’s not all that made the SVDP team happy. They noticed that the boy made a play garage for his toy cars from the Hope Center Pantry food box. Together, St. Vincent DePaul and Hope Center Pantry gave this mother and her son some much-needed support in a difficult time. What a blessing to spread a little bit of hope by helping others.

Help Others by Volunteering at Hope Center Pantry

Want to make a difference in the community by helping others as a Hope Center Pantry volunteer? 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 We You Help information to learn more. Volunteers provide an essential service to those in need in the Green Bay, Wisconsin, area. Thank you to all of the volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul and Hope Center Pantry.

Letter Carriers Food Drive Yields 6,000 Pounds of Food for the Hungry

Joan Koehne
volunteers at Hope Center Pantry sort donations from the Letter Carrier Food Drive

After a three-year hiatus because of COVID-19, the Letter Carriers Food Drive returned on May 13, 2023, to Brown County, Wisconsin. Green Bay-area residents were encouraged to leave a bag of food by their mailbox to help fight hunger.

Food Drive Collects 6,000 Pounds of Nonperishables

As a result of the Letter Carriers Food Drive, Hope Center Pantry received 10 totes of food, totaling about 6,000 pounds. What a busy day for letter carriers and pantry volunteers! Some Hope Center Pantry volunteers drove the mail carrier routes to collect the food donations. Other volunteers unloaded the nonperishable food at the Post Office and loaded it into totes. Many other volunteers sorted and stored the food at the pantry. What a tremendous effort by so many dedicated pantry volunteers.

Largest One-Day Food Drive in the Country

This food drive is sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers and is the largest one-day food drive in the country. Letter carriers give back to the community by collecting millions of pounds of food, all which stays in the area where it was collected. The 2023 food drive was the 31st event.

Organize a Food Drive at Your School or Business

Thanks to the National Association of Letter Carriers for helping address food insecurity in Brown County, Wisconsin, by organizing the Letter Carriers Food Drive. Hope Center Pantry was honored to receive and distribute the donated food to pantry clients. 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 in the Green Bay area.

Fortifi Bank’s ‘Supper for 6’ Feeds 200 Families

Joan Koehne
F

A Green Bay, Wisconsin, bank is a hunger hero! Fortifi Bank stepped up to help end hunger with a food drive. The theme of Fortifi Bank’s food drive was “Supper for 6.” Instead of simply collecting random food items, donors were asked to fill a grocery bag with nonperishable food to complete an entire meal. The instructions were simple. Fill a bag with ingredients to make a meal for six people. Drop the bag off at the bank.

Supper for 6 Collects 200 Bags

As a result, the bank collected enough grocery bags of food donations to benefit 13 food pantries. The Supper for 6 food drive yielded over 1,000 nonperishable food items, equaling 200 meals for families of six. Hope Center Pantry received 33 grocery bags of donated meals. Supper for 6 occurred March 13 to April 13 in each of the nine communities where Fortifi Bank operates a branch office.

Organize a Food Drive at Your School or Business

Thanks to the Fortifi Bank for helping address food insecurity in Brown County, Wisconsin, by organizing the Supper for 6 Food Drive. Hope Center Pantry was honored to receive and distribute the donated food to pantry clients. 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 in the Green Bay area.

Brown Co. Community Woman’s Club Shows Generosity

Joan Koehne
Brown County Community Woman’s Club at Hope Center Pantry with donations

When this group of women set out to do good, they surpass all expectations! In April, the Hope Center Pantry was fortunate to be the recipients of a monetary donation and a plethora of food items from the Brown County Community Woman’s Club (BCCWC). What a nice surprise when these women delivered these gifts to Hope Center Pantry!

BCCWC Brightens Kids’ Birthdays

BCCWC also donated six birthday bags. Birthday bags are given to Hope Center Pantry clients who have a child 10 or under in their household. In the child’s birthday month, he or she receives a bag containing a cake mix, frosting, candles and a toy. The majority of these birthday bags are donated by two local high school girls’ soccer teams, Notre Dame Academy and Southwest High School. Read more in this article about Birthday Bags and Christmas gift bags.

14,500+ Volunteer Service Hours Annually

The Brown County Community Woman’s Club is a nonprofit organization that provides charitable services and funding to the community. Eight women established BCCWC in 2008 as a nonsectarian, nonpolitical organization that supports the community while promoting social and personal growth of its members. BCCWC logs more than 14,500 hours of volunteer service annually in Brown County, Wisconsin. To date, the BCCWC has donated more than $478,000 in community awards, all in Brown County.

Thank you, Brown County Community Woman’s Club

Thanks to the Brown County Community Woman’s Club for helping address food insecurity in Brown County, Wisconsin. Hope Center Pantry was honored to receive and distribute the donated food to pantry clients. 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 in the Green Bay, Wisconsin, area.

Handbags for Hope: Free Purses Bring Smiles to 24 Women

Joan Koehne
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

Joan Koehne
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.