Category: Food Assistance

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.

Food Insecurity Grows: Pantry Aids 818 New Clients in 2023

Joan Koehne
pantry volunteers help ease food insecurity at Hope Center Pantry

Food insecurity continues to be an issue for many people in Northeast Wisconsin. In 2023, Hope Center Pantry saw an increase in the number of clients visiting the food pantry to receive free food. Hope Center Pantry registered 818 new clients in 2023. This was 300 more clients than 2022. In 2023, Hope Center Pantry served between 370 and 590 clients a month. These clients represented 1,400 to 2,300 family members. That is a lot of mouths to feed!

93 Pantry Volunteers Feed the Hungry in 2023

Food pantry volunteers make it their mission to do good and help others. In 2023, 93 volunteers helped Hope Center Pantry feed the hungry. Volunteers sorted food donations, registered clients, packed boxes, picked up food from Feeding America, entered data in the database, and performed other volunteer duties.

Help Us Combat Food Insecurity: Donate or Volunteer

Hope Center Pantry, 505 Clinton St., Green Bay, is open from 1-3pm Monday through Thursday. We serve the hungry in Greater Green Bay and Brown County, Wisconsin. Join us on our mission. Donate or volunteer today! Contact us to learn more.

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.

Food Assistance: Pantry Serves 1,489 in November

Joan Koehne
ham on a platter like ham that Hope Center Pantry gave to clients as food assistance

The Hope Center Pantry collaborates with the Green Bay West-side Catholic churches to break the cycle of poverty. The mission of the Hope Center is to serve and guide those who are in need, empower and support others. To fulfill this mission, Hope Center Pantry provides nutritious meals for more than a thousand individuals experiencing food insecurity in the Green Bay area.

Putting Turkey, Ham on Holiday Tables

Monthly food assistance provides families with nutritious meals. In November, the panty gave away 33 turkeys to clients, and in December, the panty gave away 24 hams. The turkeys and hams were welcomed additions to clients’ Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.

Providing Food Assistance in 2023

As 2023 comes to an end, the food pantry totaled its food assistance numbers to determine the pantry’s impact on feeding the hungry of Green Bay.

  • In January 2023, Hope Center Pantry served 471 clients representing 1,774 family members.
  • In May 2023, Hope Center Pantry served 593 clients representing 2,319 family members.
  • In August 2023, Hope Center Pantry served 374 clients, representing 1,425 family members.
  • In November 2023, Hope Center Pantry served 417 clients representing 1,489 family members.

Filling Boxes for Hungry Families of All Sizes

Hope Center Pantry, 505 Clinton St., Green Bay WI, permits clients to pick up food for their households once a month. The pantry fills the food assistance 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

Working to End Food Insecurity in Green Bay

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.

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.

Halloween Bash: Fun Night and Food Drive

Joan Koehne
Food drive donations for Hope Center Pantry

It wasn’t scary at all to collect food for the Hope Center Pantry. Two local companies combine efforts to create a fun evening and help stock the food supplies at Hope Center Pantry. On Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, the Alpha Team and Rogue Endeavors hosted their twelfth annual Halloween Boo Bash. The event was held at The Automobile Gallery & Event Center in downtown Green Bay. The theme was “A Night at the Movies.” Attendees were encouraged to dress as their favorite movie character. There were complimentary drinks, snacks, movie trivia games, and casino games.

1 in 5 Kids Face Hunger in Brown County, WI

Admittance to this event was a food donation. Why? Because 1 in 5 children in the Brown County area struggle to get enough to eat. This is a great way for these organization to put on a food drive to help support our local community. Who doesn’t enjoy socializing for a cause? There were over 150 attendees at this event. Hope Center Pantry couldn’t be more thrilled to be the recipients of so much, high-quality food.

Food Drive Shows Community Generosity

When our volunteers were sorting all of the donations from the food drive, there were so many squeals of delight. You made the volunteers day! But, even better than that, you made a difference to the lives of Hope Center Pantry clients. They know there are many generous folks in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to help them out. This Halloween event helped the Alpha Team and Rogue Endeavors reach their 2023 goal of collecting 100,000 pounds of food for local pantries.

To learn how to organize a food drive for your company or nonprofit organization, contact us.

Green Bay Packers’ De’Vondre Campbell Sacks Hunger

Joan Koehne
holiday food box from Chucky Sacks Hunger

A Green Bay Packers player is helping to feed the clients at Hope Center Pantry who are experiencing food insecurity. Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell partnered with Campbell’s for the Chunky Sacks Hunger program. De’Vondre and other NFL defensive players are members of The Soup Squad. They will donate over two million meals to people in need. Chunky Sacks Hunger donates one meal to Feeding America for every Chunky Bowl sold during the NFL season.

Additionally, Chunky and De’Vondre Campbell will continue their support of Feeding America all season long by donating 1,000 Campbell’s products every time the Packers make a sack.

On Oct. 31, De’Vondre volunteered at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin to pack holiday meal boxes. The food boxes contained cans of Campbell’s Chunky Soup, three pounds of rice, and one pound of black beans. Plus, Feeding America added a two-pound bag of pasta. The Hope Center Pantry received 70 holiday meal boxes and distributed them to pantry families.

Hope Center Pantry was one of several food pantries in the Green Bay area that benefited from De’Vondre’s generosity and the Chunky Sacks Hunger initiative. It is truly heartwarming to see caring athletes like De’Vondre give back to the underserved in Green Bay. Go, Pack, Go!

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.

Divine Detour: Feeding 3 Experiencing Homelessness

Joan Koehne
3 men experiencing homelessness eat food given to them by Hope Center Pantry directors

Have any of you ever had a lazy Sunday where the Holy Spirit “nudged” you in a direction different than you wanted to go? Well, that happened on a mid-September Sunday to the directors of the Hope Center Food Pantry. Here’s how it unfolded, as told by Directors Chris and Janice.

Refreshing Water for the Thirsty

This particular Sunday, it was HOT! Plus, it was sticky HUMID! We got done with church, and all we wanted to do was head home to our comfortable air conditioning. But we had done some grocery shopping the previous day and decided to swing by Hope Center Pantry to unload it. No sooner had we backed up to the delivery door than a gentleman appeared around the corner and asked us if we could spare a bottle of water for him. We told him to give us a minute, and we’d bring it around to the client delivery door. We keep water in the refrigerator at the pantry for our volunteers, and we were so happy that we had something cool and refreshing to offer him. When we brought it out, we realized that he was with two other guys who asked for water. They were obviously homeless.

Pre-Packed Bag of Food for the Hungry

After we delivered water to all of three of them, they asked us if we had any food that we could share with them. They were SO HUNGRY! It seemed wrong to tell them to return the next day at 1pm when the pantry was officially open. We just came from church, and it didn’t seem very Christian-like to turn them away! So, we registered them as new pantry clients and gave them each a pre-packed bag that we have ready for our non-sheltered clients. They were beyond ecstatic as they rifled through their bags and saw so many great food options. They joked around that all they needed was a picnic table. We told them they were welcome to stay and eat at the pantry. They did just that. They situated themselves under a tree in the berm and enjoyed their feast!

Assisting Those Experiencing Homelessness

We may have taken a detour to the pantry at the last minute, but there was no doubt the Holy Spirit made sure we were just where we were needed most! Hope Center Pantry serves people who have varied needs, including those experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. To assist Hope Center Pantry in its mission to serve, guide, empower and support those in need, please consider donating money, nonperishable food, garden produce, or personal hygiene supplies. Check out our Wish List for ideas.

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.