Category: Partnerships

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.

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!

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!