Category: Donors

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.

Youth Hockey Teams Rally to Feed Those in Need

Joan Koehne
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.

Something to Smile About, Thanks to Brodhagen & Kids Dental Experts

Joan Koehne
Kids Dental Experts logo

Hope Center Pantry gave Green Bay-area residents something to smile about, thanks two Brown County, Wisconsin, dental offices. When the Hope Center Pantry ran incredibly low on toothbrushes, a pantry volunteer contacted Green Bay dentists. As a result, Brodhagen Dental Care of Ashwaubenon and Kids Dental Experts of Green Bay and De Pere donated toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss.

Dental Offices Donate to Pantry

Brodhagen Dental Care logo

Hope Center Pantry is so grateful for these donations of nonfood items from these two local dentists. The Hope Center Pantry clients received these oral hygiene items as bonus items, in addition to the traditional food items they received.

Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Dental Floss

Dental hygiene is so important because the health of the teeth and gums impacts an individual’s overall health, medical costs, and quality of life. Proper oral hygiene includes daily brushing and flossing to maintain the health of the teeth and gums. Good oral health enables a person to speak, smile, smell, eat and communicate more easily. Poor oral health can lead to serious consequences. Individuals without access to toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss can experience mouth pain and discomfort. Ultimately, they may end up suffering from costly health conditions.

Thanks, Brodhagen & Kids Dental Experts

Hope Center Pantry loves to see clients smiling! Donations from Brodhagen Dental Care of Ashwaubenon and Kids Dental Experts of Green Bay and De Pere help to make smiles possible.

Donate Food & Non-food Items to Pantry

How can your business or nonprofit organization put smiles on the faces of those in need in Green Bay and Brown County, Wisconsin? The Pantry accepts food and non-food donations alike. Here is a Wish List of Hope Center Pantry’s current needs.

A Bright Idea: Focus on Energy’s LEDs help Pantry Families Save Energy

Joan Koehne
light bulb box from Focus on Energy donation to Hope Center Pantry

Hope Center Pantry found a bright way to help Green Bay, Wisconsin, families stretch their budgets a little farther. Focus on Energy donated several shipments of 60-watt LED light bulbs to Hope Center Pantry, through a Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin distribution. Residential LED light bulbs use approximately 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs and last approximately 25% longer. So, think of the money families will save on their electric bills by burning these energy efficient LED bulbs.

A Gift for Tough Economic Times

“We know in these tough economic times it’s important to help our neighbors,” said a Focus on Energy representative. Focus on Energy offers rebates and incentives for energy-saving projects and products. Smart energy decisions, like installing LED light bulbs in homes and businesses in Wisconsin, yield enduring economic benefits.

Pantry Thanks Focus on Energy

Hope Center Pantry, Green Bay, greatly appreciates Focus on Energy’s donation. The pantry’s clients were so grateful to receive the light bulbs. The gift of LED light bulbs helps families stretch their budgets and hopefully, direct the savings to put a meal on the table.

Donate a Food or Non-Food Item Today

How can your business or nonprofit organization shine light on those in need in Green Bay and Brown County, Wisconsin? The Pantry accepts food and non-food donations alike. Here is a Wish List of Hope Center Pantry’s current needs.

Not So Cumbersome: Bellin Health Bags Are Perfect for Singles

Joan Koehne
Bellin Health cinch Bags donated to Hope Center Pantry

Hope Center Pantry volunteers are wizards at implementing solutions to food distribution issues. For example, the pantry considered different ways to make it easier for individuals to carry bags when they walk or bike to Hope Center Pantry. Have you ever tried to balance a paper grocery bag filled with food on a bike? It’s a challenge! Plus, grocery bags become quite heavy to carry even a short distance. Paper grocery bags are cumbersome to transport and if their handles tear, they’re even more cumbersome.

Donation from Bellin Health

Acknowledging the challenges of paper bags for food transportation, Hope Center Pantry contacted the folks that organize the Bellin Run and other races. The Bellin Run is a 10K race held the second Saturday in June that attracts more than 10,000 walkers, runners, and wheelchair participants. Bellin Health and the Green Bay Packers formed a partnership in 2012 to create Titletown Wellness. In addition to organizing the Bellin Run, Titletown Wellness hosts other running events in the spring and fall. So, when we contacted Bellin about donating bags for groceries, they provided over 300 cinch bags that were left over from the Bellin Women’s Half Marathon. Bellin Health consistently comes through to support community needs, and Hope Center Pantry is thankful for the health system’s generosity.

Durable, Reusable Singles Bags for Food

The Bellin Health cinch bags work great for packing “singles bags.” A singles bag is just what it sounds like. It is packed with food amounts for our clients that only have one person in their household.
The bags are durable and can easy to carry like a backpack, which is especially beneficial for clients who walk or ride their bike to collect their food from Hope Center Pantry. It is an understatement to say that these sturdy bags are an immense improvement over paper bags. As an added bonus, clients can reuse these bags for other purposes.

The Pantry is always in need of donations. View our Wish List for ideas today.

Pioneer Metal Finishing’s 2-Fold Gift: Food Drive & Professional Flier

Joan Koehne
Pioneer Metal Finishing

Download the Hope Center Pantry Flier

In a technology-driven world, you wouldn’t think that a printed brochure would be of much use. Yet Hope Center Pantry finds great value in its professional flier and the relationships the pantry built when developing the flier.

2 Donations from Pioneer Metal Finishing

Hope Center Pantry partnered with Pioneer Metal Finishing to produce the professional flier. Pioneer Metal Finishing is a Green Bay, Wisconsin-based custom metal finishing company with 11 facilities in the U.S. and Mexico. A Pioneer Metal Finishing employee created the flier on behalf of Hope Center Pantry. The Pioneer Metal Finishing team was so impressed with Hope Center Pantry’s professionalism and how quickly the Pantry published the brochure on its website. In fact, Pioneer Metal Finishing donated its company’s December 2021 collection of nonperishable food to Hope Center Pantry. The pantry is so grateful for both charitable gestures.

Pantry Brochure Printed in English & Spanish

Because Northeast Wisconsin is home to many Hispanic families, Hope Center Pantry wanted to publish the brochure in both English and Spanish. Hope Center Pantry worked with the Green Bay Area Public School District staff to translate the English text to Spanish. This is just another example of a mutually beneficial relationship sustained by Hope Center Pantry. Read how Hope Center Pantry provides family meal kits to help parents who struggle to feed their kids.

Outreach to Green Bay & Brown County WI

Hope Center Pantry distributes the flier to:

Sponsor a Corporate Food Drive

The brochure concisely communicates information about Hope Center Pantry services, hours of operation, and eligibility requirements. Additionally, the flier sends the message that the pantry is professional, forward-looking nonprofit organization. Hope Center Pantry is grateful to Pioneer Metal Finishing for its generosity and encourages other Green Bay corporations to follow suit. Please consider sponsoring a corporate food drive or contributing to the pantry in some other way. Here is our Wish List of current needs.

What a Joy to See! Gift Bags Bring Extra Smiles

Joan Koehne
Gift bag from Feeding America given to clients.
Gift bag from Feeding America given to clients.

Volunteering at Hope Center Pantry is so rewarding, but a couple of experiences really make volunteering worthwhile. We wish everyone could experience the joy that a Christmas-time gift bag brought to our female clients. In December 2021 we gave 45 gift bags to our female clients. These were nicely boxed gift sets of pump body lotion and soap that we received for free from Feeding America. The clients were so appreciative that it really made us feel good about the work we do at the pantry.

Christmas & Birthday Gift Bags

Christmas only comes once a year, and the same goes for birthdays. You should see a child’s face light up when they see a birthday bag included with their family’s food. It’s priceless! Two Green Bay soccer teams made it possible. The high school girls’ soccer teams kicked it up a notch with their Hope Center Pantry donation! Girls from the Notre Dame Academy and Southwest High School girls’ soccer teams filled 101 birthday bags and donated them to Hope Center Pantry.

Birthday gift bags donated to Hope Center Pantry from high school soccer teams.
Birthday gift bags donated to Hope Center Pantry from high school soccer teams.

101 Cake Mixes, Frosting, Candles & Gifts

Each bag contained a cake mix, frosting, candles and an age-appropriate gift. Panty volunteers distribute the birthday gift bags to families with children age 10 and under for their birthday month. The clients were thrilled to have these items to make their child’s birthday feel more special.

Making Birthdays Extra Special

As a nice addition to the birthday bags, Hope Center Pantry gives each child a Beanie Baby. A generous pantry supporter donated a bunch of Beanie Babies to the pantry. When volunteers grab a gift bag for a child, they also grab one of these Beanie Babies to add to the bag. It makes their birthday extra special!

Turkey Time: Pantry Donates to 122 Thanksgiving Day Meals

Joan Koehne
Thanksgiving Day turkeys were given to clients at Hope Center Pantry

What’s a Thanksgiving Day feast in Wisconsin without turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie? Hope Center Pantry, Green Bay, Wisconsin, didn’t want its clients to go without the traditional Thanksgiving Day meal because they lacked financial resources. According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, the average cost of a Thanksgiving Day meal for 10 people in 2021 was $53.31. Unfortunately, that’s beyond the means of many residents of Brown County, Wisconsin. So, in November of 2021, Hope Center Pantry used monetary donations collected from generous pantry patrons to purchase a variety of turkey options for clients’ Thanksgiving Day meals.

Helping Families Celebrate Thanksgiving Day

Hope Center Pantry purchased frozen whole turkeys (10-16 pounds), 3-pound frozen turkey breasts, and 2-pound turkey hams (similar to a deli meat). Then, Hope Center Pantry distributed the turkeys to clients in November. The pantry’s clients were taken aback by this additional meat item. They were so grateful they could celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal with their families. In total, Hope Center Pantry contributed Thanksgiving Day food for 122 meals.

Giving Away Turkeys & All the Fixings

In addition to turkey, Hope Center Pantry gave clients several other Thanksgiving Day foods which pantry volunteers had collected throughout 2021. Hope Center Pantry clients received turkey, pumpkin, cranberries, evaporated milk, stuffing mix, gravy, and sweet potatoes. Hope Center Pantry’s Thanksgiving Day meal distribution:

  • 67 whole turkeys
  • 28 turkey breasts
  • 27 turkey hams

Accepting Monetary Donations & Nonperishables

Spending time with family and friends around the table remains an important Thanksgiving Day tradition for many Wisconsinites. Hope Center Pantry is pleased to provide food for the feast. To help the pantry fill plates at the next Thanksgiving, please drop off monetary donations and nonperishable food from 1-3pm Monday – Thursday at the pantry, 505 Clinton St., Green Bay.

Donations Matter: New Laptop Computer Now Supporting Pantry’s Mission

Joan Koehne
a laptop computer the Hope Center Pantry uses for a database.
McMahon Associates, an engineering company in Neenah, donated a laptop computer to the Hope Center Pantry to use for a database.

Our sincere thanks to McMahon Associates, an engineering company in Neenah, for the donation of a laptop computer to the Hope Center Pantry to use for our database. Why would a Neenah company located 35 miles from Green Bay donate to the Hope Center Pantry? Because Chris Clemens was a McMahon Associates employee for over 35 years. Chris and Janice Clemens are the current Hope Center Pantry directors. While working for McMahon Associates, Chris noticed that the company provided generous donations to nonprofit organizations in Northeast Wisconsin.

Donation from McMahon Associates

Matt Greely, Executive President of McMahon Associates, said the company was happy to help Hope Center Pantry fulfill its mission. The mission of Hope Center is to serve and guide those who are in need. It is our responsibility to empower and support others.

How the Pantry Uses the Computer Database

The donated computer syncs with the internet so database backups are done automatically. Additionally, Hope Center Pantry converted the database from Works to Excel. The pantry prepared all of the new documentation and trained volunteers in database entry. Lastly, the pantry worked with reporting genius to update all of the end-of-month/quarter reports using the new database. These reports produce the numbers that the pantry submits periodically to Feeding America and the Brown County Food and Hunger Network. Both of these organizations provide a large amount of the food that the Hope Center Pantry distributes to clients.

Improving Pantry Operations & Effectiveness

The panty also distributes the reports to the Hope Center Board, to keep the board up-to-date on the pantry’s client base. The panty also uses information from the database to apply for grants. Recently, the pantry started collecting an additional piece of data, using the new database. The pantry collects the email address of each client. Thus, the panty can notify clients about updates and forward information to them that might be beneficial.

Be a Donor, Like McMahon Associates

Bringing all of the pantry’s data up to current technology was a huge undertaking that is so beneficial to pantry operations. We truly appreciate donors like McMahon Associates, Neenah. If your company would like to make a donation to the Hope Center Pantry, please visit How You Can Help

3 Ways You Can Help Hope Center Pantry

  1. Select Food or Personal Care Items from the Wish List
  2. Drop off a Donation at a Catholic Church on the West Side of Green Bay
  3. Become a Volunteer, 1-3pm Monday – Thursday

“Thanks to Janice and Chris Clemens for your service to the community. You guys are awesome!”

Matt Greely, Executive President of McMahon Associates