Behind the Shelves
January 20, 2026
Every Thursday, Dave shows up to manage the supply side of his local food pantry in Door County. And every Thursday, Dana is right there too — helping families choose meats, bread, and canned goods with care.
Together, they make sure everything behind the scenes runs smoothly — and that each visitor gets what they need.
“I basically manage the supply side of the food pantry,” says Dave. “That means receiving and organizing food that comes from Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, donations from food drives, or picking up from the grocery stores and Kwik Trips here in Sturgeon Bay.” Once everything’s sorted — meats in the freezer, baked goods where they’re needed — Dave hands it off to the rest of the team.
That’s where Dana comes in. “I’m a volunteer,” he explains. “I help people make choices — most of the time it’s meats — depending on the size of the family. I also work with the breads and cans too.” He stays in that section, but keeps an eye on what families need most. “If we get more proteins, people would really like that. That’s been in short supply.”
They’ve both seen changes over time. Dana started volunteering just before the pandemic and remembers the challenges that came with shifting to no-contact service. “We had to shop for them. That became a little more difficult. You don’t know what the people really want.” Numbers dipped — but now, he says, the need is rising fast. “Especially in the last three or four months, we’ve noticed a big increase in the number of people coming in and getting food.”
And while they haven’t run out of food, they’ve had to cut back on some items — a growing challenge as inflation rises and benefits like FoodShare are reduced.
The pantry also serves a unique role in Door County, where summer tourism can sometimes mask the local need. “Door County has an image … that it’s a beautiful place where people come for vacations,” Dave says. “There definitely are people that live here that are struggling.”
Dana agrees. “We get a lot of people from the service industry that just can’t make it,” he explains. “Incomes and housing prices being so high up here … and if you can find rent, it’s unbelievable.”
But thanks to support from Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and its donors, the pantry is able to stay open, stocked, and welcoming — even making emergency boxes when someone runs out of food before month’s end. And every donation helps.
“Monetary donations help a lot,” Dana shares. “What we get from the government and other agencies isn’t always exactly what the people want.” That support helps supplement the shelves and fill critical gaps.
Their message to you? “Thank you. It all helps.”
