Category: Partnerships

Humana Foundation Donation: To-Go Meals for Homeless

Joan Koehne
Humana Foundation donated single-serve food items to Hope Center Pantry

On Dec. 5, Hope Center Pantry, Green Bay, was astounded by an extremely generous food donation from the Humana Foundation. The foundation donated to Hope Center Pantry through Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin. Hope Center Pantry received individual bowls of cereal, cans of macaroni and beef, fruit and grain bars, cheese crackers, peanut butter crackers, canned chicken, individual containers of diced peaches, and jars of peanut butter

Single-Serving Food for To-Go Meals

Humana Foundation provided single-serving, nonperishable foods that are perfect for our meal bags. Hope Center Pantry packs to-go meals for the non-sheltered guests at a Green Bay homeless shelter. We pack each meal with great care.

600 Meals for Non-Sheltered Homeless

At Hope Center Pantry, we know the importance of providing foods that homeless individuals are able to eat with little meal preparation. Humana Foundation’s generous food donation will provide at least 600 meals to the homeless. That’s enough food for non-sheltered guests until summer 2025.

Please Donate Food, Time, or Money

Hope Center Pantry is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, and we welcome the opportunity to collaborate with other Green Bay-area nonprofits. Together, we can make a lasting impact on people in need, including individuals experiencing housing insecurity. Please consider donating food, time, or financial resources to Hope Center Pantry. Contact us to learn more.

Celebrating Families with Meals for Amanda’s House

Joan Koehne
meal at Amanda's House

Mandolin Foundation (a.k.a. Amanda’s House) provides safe and supportive transitional housing for women recovering from trauma, mental health issues, and substance use. The house, located at 825 N. Webster Ave., Green Bay, helps women transform their lives to become independent members of the community.

Feeding Women & Children at Amanda’s House

In fall 2024, Amanda’s House contacted Hope Center Pantry, asking us to contribute to a new initiative, Celebrating Families. Celebrating Families, held on 16 consecutive Sundays, enables resident families to gather in the afternoon to share a meal and learn about a specific educational topic. Amanda’s House representatives asked the pantry to provide food for the first four meals.

Recipes & Ingredients for Family Meals

The Hope Center Pantry was honored to partner with Amanda’s House for Celebrating Families meals. The pantry will provide recipes and ingredients to feed about 10 people. At the end of the 16 weeks, the residents will receive a recipe book that contains recipes for every meal served. What a great way to give residents the tools they need to make healthy meals in their own homes.

Church & Nonprofit Partnerships

Partnerships like these are possible because of the generosity of the Hope Center Pantry donors and volunteers. The Hope Center is a collaboration of seven Green Bay West Side Catholic parishes: Annunciation, St. Agnes, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Joseph, St. Jude, Nativity of Our Lord, and St. Patrick. Hope Center Pantry also works with other churches, businesses, individuals, and nonprofit organizations in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to help break the cycle of poverty. Contact us for more information.

Thanksgiving Turkeys from Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin

Joan Koehne
Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin gave Thanksgiving turkeys to Hope Center Pantry

Gathering around the table for a Thanksgiving Day feast is an American tradition. Unfortunately, families facing food insecurity are unable to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in the traditional manner. That’s when Hope Center Pantry steps in.

A Thanksgiving Meal

In November, Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin allocated 48 turkeys to the Hope Center Pantry to distribute to our clients in the Green Bay area. The Pantry also gave roasting pans to clients who needed them. In addition to giving away the 48 turkeys and several roasting pans, the pantry also offered clients an array of food to complete their Thanksgiving meal. The pantry distributed stuffing mix, yams (sweet potatoes), pumpkin, gravy, and cranberries. Pantry clients truly appreciated turkeys and Thanksgiving fixings.

Thanks to Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin

Thank you to Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin and to everyone who donated nonperishable food. You are such a blessing! Pantry donors helped to make Thanksgiving Day special for so many people in Green Bay. Thank you!

Elks Lodge Makes Birthdays Brighter

Joan Koehne
Birthday bags for Hope Center Pantry from Elks Lodge

All children deserve a happy birthday, and Hope Center Pantry and our donors help to make birthdays special. Every week, we ask the clients at the Pantry if they have any children aged 10 and under who are having a birthday that month. If the children are celebrating a birthday, the Pantry gives the family a birthday bag. A birthday bag typically includes a cake mix, frosting, candles, and an age-appropriate toy.

Elks Lodge Deliver 8 Birthday Bags

On Veteran’s Day, the Green Bay Elks Lodge #259 delivered eight elaborate birthday bags. The birthday bags included all the basics, plus plates, napkins, a birthday card and a covered disposable cake pan. How thoughtful was that? We were truly humbled when the Elks presented the bags to us. Their donation certainly will make the children feel extra special on their birthday! 

Do Your Part to Support Hope Center Pantry

Hope Center Pantry invites other nonprofit organizations like the Elks Lodge to prepare birthday bags for our clients. For information about birthday bags or other donations to the pantry, contact us today.

Souper Run: Green Bay Running Club Chases Down Hunger

Joan Koehne
logo for Green Bay Running Club

The Green Bay Running Club is making an impact on hunger. On Oct. 28, the Green Bay Running Club presented Hope Center Pantry with seven large boxes of nonperishable food and a monetary donation. One of the members recently hosted a “Souper Run.” Runners were encouraged to bring canned food or a monetary donation for Hope Center Pantry. The runners sure came through!

Green Bay Running Club Donates to Pantry

The Green Bay Running Club’s Souper Run shows how an organization can extend a helping hand while building healthy habits through exercise. We thank the club for its generosity and invite other nonprofit organizations to likewise give back to the community.

Host a Food Drive or Hygiene Supply Drive

Hope Center Pantry is so grateful to all organizations that organize food drives. Follow the example of the Elks, Scouts, Brown County Women’s Club, and National Association of Letter Carriers. If your school, business, or nonprofit is interested in organizing a food drive or hygiene supply collection drive for Hope Center Pantry, please contact us. Help us serve and guide those who are in need in the Green Bay area.

Green Bay School Donates Books to Pantry

Joan Koehne
books from Green Bay School donated to Hope Center Pantry

Tank Elementary School in the Green Bay Area Public School District closed at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Because of the closure, the school ended up with a large number of extra books. Thankfully, they chose to share the books with us. The pantry received a HUGE donation of almost 1,000 books in mid-July. Hope Center Pantry typically doesn’t accept donations of books. But when the Green Bay Area School District offered us the books, we thought our clients could use them. So, we gratefully accepted the donated books.

School Books Find Good Homes

Every day in the summer and fall, we pushed a cart loaded with books outside during pantry hours. Clients were overjoyed to browse through them! They took as many books as they wanted. A few months later, the pantry has only about 25 books left. It makes our hearts happy to know these books found good homes.

Consider a Donation to Hope Center Pantry

Does your school, business or nonprofit want to donate non-food items to the pantry? Typically, the pantry accepts nonperishable food, paper products, and personal hygiene products. However, we are open to accepting atypical donations, too. Let us know what you have on hand to donate. In turn, we’ll let you know if we’d like to accept the donation. To view our wish list of items needed at the pantry, visit How You Can Help.

We are so grateful to Green Bay Area School District and all of our generous donors.

Serenity House: Leading People to Recovery

Joan Koehne
Hope Center Pantry resource table at Serenity House


On Sept. 8, the Hope Center Pantry set up a resource table at Serenity House in Green Bay. The sober-living home celebrated the opening of a second location, and we were honored to participate in the special event. It warmed our hearts to see the outpouring of support from neighbors and friends at the open house. The Pantry provides food to residents as needed, as the residents work to make positive changes in their lives. We are glad that we can partner with this organization and support these residents as they strive to achieve sustained recovery. Contact us to ask us about partnering with your Green Bay business or nonprofit.

What is Serenity House?

The Serenity House provides safe and sober living by connecting residents with the Twelve Step Communities leading into a growing relationship with God and a lifetime of recovery. Their vision is to help individuals suffering from alcohol and drug addiction to receive a life that they never imagined possible, through God, recovery and the twelve steps. (Source: Serenity House website)

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!

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.