Sandi has spent almost three decades at Lakeshore Community Action Program in Sturgeon Bay. Half of those have been at the food pantry, where she’s now the director. If anyone knows the massive impact the program has had on the community, it’s Sandi!

The Lakeshore CAP food pantry is laid out like a grocery store, with visitors getting to pick and choose what they need each time they visit. That way, neighbors who find themselves in need of what the pantry has to offer get the dignity of choosing their own groceries, and there’s less food waste.

And that’s especially important now, when need is so elevated across Eastern Wisconsin. Sturgeon Bay is no exception.

“Last month, we served about 555 people. Which was up from the year before by about 46%,” Sandi says. “And I think it’s still climbing. Food prices are up, so that’s making a big difference.”

Sturgeon Bay is a resort town right on the water, so the full-time residents who work seasonal jobs to serve the summer tourists feel the pinch during the off-season in the fall and winter. Sandi tells us, “Door County is a resort area. So people have summer jobs, so even if everybody’s working in the summer, they’re still paying off their bills from the winter.”

That’s where friends like you come in!

Your gifts allow neighbors to come get the food they need once a month and any emergency food they need in between. And you allow the pantry to run almost entirely on volunteers, with Sandi as one of the only employees. That means everything for the residents of Sturgeon Bay.

“Just realize when you’re donating that you’re helping your friends and neighbors. We’ve been very lucky with what we receive… we just hope that continues,” Sandi says.

We hope your support continues, too! Thank you for everything you do for your neighbors when they find themselves facing harder times.

Read How Jeanne Gives Back