Category: Donors

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.

Domino Effect: Students Donate 910 Boxes of Cereal

Joan Koehne
Students Donate Cereal boxes and arrange them like dominoes in the gym

How do you get elementary school children pumped up during the cold winter months? The school counselor at Jackson Elementary School in Green Bay came up with a fantastic idea. How about hosting a cereal dominoes challenge? For several weeks, the children were encouraged to bring in boxes of cereal. The classroom that collected the most boxes of cereal would be rewarded with a pizza party!

Collecting Cereal Boxes for Local Pantries

A large portion of the cereal collected would be donated to their school pantry, Hunger Heroes Jaguar Den. Anything extra would be allocated to a few local food pantries. Just this little seed of an idea created so much buzz among the students and faculty. The good that came out of it exceeded everyone’s expectations: 910 boxes of cereal were collected!

Students Cheer as the Dominos Fall

The competition was fierce, and the classroom that won the pizza party tipped the count by only six boxes on the final day. Hope Center Pantry visited Jackson Elementary School on March 6, 2024, to witness the event live. Boxes of cereal were lined up in elaborate designs, domino-style, starting in the gym. The cereal boxes snaked down hallways throughout the school. It was breathtaking to watch the dominos fall. But mostly, we enjoyed watching the expressions on the faces of the kids. They were beyond excited as they stood or sat respectfully along the hallways and cheered on the falling cereal boxes.

Contact Us to Organize a Food Drive

The Hope Center Pantry was one of the fortunate pantries that received 200 boxes of cereal from the challenge. Some of the students willingly helped haul our cereal to our vehicle. What a fun way to run a food drive. We commend Jackson Elementary School for its innovative domino-style food drive and thank all of the donors, also. The families we serve now have breakfast on the table, thanks to you. To organize a food drive at your school, business or community event, contact us for information.

Family Radio Sponsors Help for the Homeless

Joan Koehne
Family Radio sponsors Help for the Homeless personal hygiene drive

Every year, Family Radio sponsors a “Help for the Homeless” hygiene drive. This year, Hope Center Pantry participated in the drive for the first time. Our Pantry gives hygiene products to our clients, and now we have more toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other personal hygiene items available.

Donations Go to 121 Crisis Programs

Many businesses and churches participated in Help for the Homeless. Family Radio broadcasts to 20 Wisconsin communities in the radio station’s listening areas. The drive began Feb. 11 and ended March 3. In total, Family Radio collected over $604,000 worth of hygiene products and cleaning supplies. These donations went to 121 crisis programs in 20 communities across Wisconsin.

Pantry Benefits from Help for the Homeless

The Hope Center Pantry was one of 24 local crisis programs in Brown County to receive the donations from Help for the Homeless. On March 7, each program sent three volunteers to Green Bay Community Church. The volunteers sorted, counted and distributed 37,987 donated items that were valued at $101,823.22.

Contact Us to Organize a Personal Hygiene Drive

We were awestruck by the generous outpouring of support from Brown County residents. Hope Center Pantry clients are so fortunate to have such great quality hygiene items available to them. Thanks, Family Radio! Contact us to learn how to organize a personal hygiene drive at your business or nonprofit.

Feeding America of Northeast Wis. Spreads Easter Cheer

Joan Koehne
Easter hams donated by Feeding America to Hope Center Pantry


Look what the Easter Bunny left at Hope Center Pantry! Hope Center Pantry received an assortment of Easter hams from Feeding America of Northeast Wisconsin. The smaller hams are 4 pounds. These will be offered to Hope Center Pantry clients that have 2-4 people in their household. The larger hams are 8 pounds. These will be offered to Hope Center Pantry clients that have 5 or more people in their household.

Not only will these hams be the centerpiece of Easter dinner, but the ‘planned overs’ (‘left overs’ has such a negative connotation) can be used for delicious casseroles and scrumptious soups. Now that is what we call a win/win … all thanks to Feeding America!

Green Bay Packaging Donates 4,800 Boxes

Joan Koehne
Volunteers unload boxes from Green Bay Packaging donation

Green Bay Packaging is our hometown hero! Thanks to the kindness of Green Bay Packaging, Hope Center Pantry received eight bales of boxes on Feb. 2, 2024. These will be used to package up the food items for our Small, Large and X-Large client families. That equates to about 4,800 boxes which should accommodate Hope Center Pantry for about 16 months.

Volunteers Unite for Swift Unloading

These boxes get stored off-site in a spare room on the third floor at the old Annunciation school. We had a total of seven smiling volunteers lined up to help unload these boxes off of a truck, load them onto flatbed cart, and use the elevator to get them up to the storage room. It only took an hour to get this all accomplished. It was a big job but embodies the proverb that many hands make light work.

Green Bay Packaging Boxes for Food Donations

These boxes will be so helpful for Hope Center Pantry to package food donations. Thanks to Green Bay Packaging for supporting our mission, to serve and guide those who are in need, empower and support others.

Women’s Club Warms Our Hearts with Donations

Joan Koehne
Brown County Community Women's Club donation to Hope Center Pantry

We had a mild winter in Wisconsin in 2023-2024, but on January 17, 2024, temperatures were below zero, and it was freezing cold. But that didn’t stop Lois Mauermann and Terri Lewis from the Brown County Community Women’s Club, Inc. (BCCWC). They filled up their vehicles and delivered food donations of one large box and 41 bags to Hope Center Pantry. Plus, they also donated 17 birthday bags and $45 cash.

You might wonder what the source was of so many amazing items. They had about 100 very generous ladies attend their January 2024 Women’s Club monthly meeting where they ran a food drive on behalf of the Hope Center Pantry. Prior to the meeting, they shared the Pantry’s Wish List. We have deep gratitude for this substantial donation and what it means to our Pantry clients!

Contact us to learn how to host a food drive for your nonprofit organization or business.

Stories of Resilience & Compassion: Hope Center Pantry’s Impact

Joan Koehne
Box of food at Hope Center food pantry

In early January we had two pantry clients that were in dire need of food for their families. They are neighbors. They did not have a vehicle available. So, they walked to Hope Center Pantry. One of them pushed a bike. We typically distribute the client orders in boxes. However, that wouldn’t work in their case. We save used canvas bags just for this purpose.

Rolling Their Food Donations Home

These two clients quickly emptied their boxes into the canvas bags. They were able to drape them over the bike handles which greatly eased their load walking home. They didn’t need to leave any food behind. Their smiles and gratitude were priceless.

Single Mom of 6 Receives Free Food & Rent Subsidy

Then, later that same week, a new client arrived at Hope Center Pantry. She was a single mom with six children. She faced eviction from her apartment as her wages weren’t able to cover the rent. St. Vincent DePaul stepped up to help subsidize her rent and brought her to Hope Center Pantry to get food for her family. She was elated at all that she received.

Food Pantry Thanks Donors & Volunteers

We like to think that on those cold winter days, the clients that came to Hope Center Pantry are warmed by the outreach that wouldn’t happen without the generosity of our donors and volunteers. View a Wish List of food donations the pantry needs, and contact us to learn about volunteer opportunities.

Hope Center Pantry Spreads Holiday Cheer to Homeless

Joan Koehne

Hope Center Pantry brightened the holidays for 33 homeless families on Dec. 2. The pantry partnered with St. Vincent de Paul, Green Bay, and the Green Bay Packers to host the second annual “Believe” event at St. Agnes.

One hundred children and 66 adults experiencing homelessness attended the holiday event. They enjoyed a turkey dinner, music, and a visit by Green Bay Packers player Jon Runyon. Jon showed everyone the cleats that he wore in a game to show his support of St. Vincent DePaul. The bright blue shoes feature the words SVDP Green Bay, Help Us Help Others and the St. Vincent de Paul logo. Jon participates in the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative, and the cleats show his commitment to St. Vincent de Paul and the homeless they serve. My Cause My Cleats allows players to show their dedication to a cause that’s important to them.

Each family who attended “Believe” received wrapped gifts. Additionally, Hope Center Pantry supplied bags of food to hand out to families. It’s amazing what difference organizations can make when they work together! Hope Center Pantry partners with St. Vincent de Paul and the Green Bay Packers for various initiatives. To get involved at Hope Center, contact us about volunteer opportunities.

More Than Food: A Mountain of Toilet Paper from Georgia-Pacific

Joan Koehne
Donation of 6 pallets of toilet paper from Georgia-Pacific.

Did you know that Hope Center Pantry gives away more than just nonperishable food? The pantry also distributes personal hygiene supplies like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, bar soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream, disposable razors, sanitary napkins, and tampons. One of the most sought-after items on the pantry shelves isn’t food – it’s toilet paper! Toilet paper is a basic necessity in every household. About half of the Hope Center Pantry clients rely on FoodShare benefits.

Overjoyed to Receive Donation

FoodShare strives to end hunger by providing benefits to people who have limited money to buy food. Individuals can use FoodShare benefits to purchase food, but they can’t use FoodShare benefits to purchase paper products such as toilet paper and facial tissues. That’s why the pantry was overjoyed to receive a wonderful donation of toilet paper from Georgia-Pacific.

Georgia-Pacific Donates 6 Pallets of Toilet Paper

Georgia-Pacific donated a mountain of toilet paper to the Hope Center Pantry. Pantry volunteers were astounded by the paper manufacturer’s generosity. Georgia-Pacific donated six pallets of huge rolls of toilet paper. Seven, hard-working volunteers loaded and unloaded the toilet paper. Believe it or not, they accomplished the task in only 70 minutes. Thank you, Georgia Pacific, and all corporate donors, for helping improve the lives of those experiencing poverty and food insecurity.

Thank You to Business and Nonprofits Donors

Hope Center Pantry appreciates its business and nonprofit partners who donate to the pantry and those who organize food drives, like the Letter Carriers, Youth Hockey, Boy Scouts, and Thrivent. Also, thank you to organizations that collect personal hygiene supplies and paper products. Thank you all!

Wagon Donation Empowers Pantry Clients

Joan Koehne
Pantry client using donated wagon to carry food.

The Hope Center Pantry strives to make life easier for people experiencing food insecurity, and a wagon donation achieves this. Quite a few of the Hope Center Pantry clients do not have vehicles or cannot drive. So, they walk to the pantry, 501 Clinton St., Green Bay, to pick up their groceries. Sometimes, they live miles away!

As a pantry staff, we have seen them sort through their food items to determine what they can physically carry to their home. The heavier items are sometimes left behind, even though they could really benefit from having them.

Thankfully, Hope Center Pantry resolved this problem. In fall of 2023, a generous donor gave the pantry a new, Uline lightweight wagon. Clients can borrow the donated wagon to transport their groceries home. So, having this wagon available means they can take ALL of their allocated groceries home with them.

Pantry clients have been so happy to use the little blue wagon, and pantry volunteers are so happy to see pantry clients leave the pantry with the food they need to feed themselves and their families. For information regarding how to donate or volunteer at the pantry, contact us today.