August 2023 Newsletter
Lindsay Stayton Photography
Letter from the President & CEO
Dear Friend,
Fall is almost here. Kids return to school, and, for many of us, a new chapter begins filled with challenges, big and small. However …
For many low-income families, ensuring everyone gets healthy meals each day can be difficult and painful when there isn’t enough to go around. Yes, some kids will once again start receiving free meals through their school this fall, but they are not the only ones confronted with hunger and heartache in our community.
This issue of Around the Table explores how people from all different walks of life face food insecurity. It’s a problem that touches lives, far and wide. Yet, so too does your compassion. Thanks to caring friends like you, we will meet the challenges of this fall with resources and optimism.
“The Food Is Good Here”
With her freckled cheeks and big, toothy smile, 9-year-old Makaila is the picture of summer.
We met Makaila while she was visiting a summer meals site with her BFF: her younger sister, Lily.
“Lily is my best friend,” says Makaila. “I love hanging out with her … when she doesn’t annoy me!”
“Food is Important”
Six-year-old Ami is not a picky eater.
“My favorite food is every food,” she says confidently. Then she reconsiders: “Except onions. And celery.”
Ami certainly had no objection to the turkey sandwich, apple, carrots, and milk she had just received at a mobile food pantry.
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin hosts numerous mobile food pantry events each summer, providing nutritious and delicious meals to families with children who no longer have access to free meals at school.
Starting the Day by Helping Others
The volunteers at Bethesda Baptist Church arrive before the sun rises to prepare for the people who come to the church parking lot every Friday morning for food distributions. Denise, Network Partnership Manager for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, calls this group of volunteers “the A-team” since they are out distributing food in any weather. No amount of Wisconsin heat or snow is too extreme to cancel distribution.
“I love seeing people’s faces light up when they receive the boxes of food,” says Kristina, a teacher who has been coming to the church for 34 years and directs traffic at the distributions. “We understand that we don’t really have to do it, but know that we are able and care about giving back and helping our community.”
“I Feel Loved and Cared for”
Close your eyes and picture a peanut butter sandwich.
Simple enough, right? Two slices of bread with peanut butter in between, wrapped in a plastic bag for safekeeping.
Now imagine the same peanut butter sandwich being gifted to a school-aged child by their teacher, because the teacher knows that when their student goes home for the weekend, there isn’t any food in the cupboards.
In reality, from the time that student leaves on Friday until they return to a school-provided breakfast on Monday morning, they likely won’t have access to food. Further imagine that same peanut butter sandwich being hidden in the ceiling tiles of a child’s home, in fear that one of their siblings or parents may eat it before they do. Sadly, this scenario is real.
“I Have a Whole Community Around Me”
Rebekah knows the power of a good meal.
As long as she can remember, she has pulled double duty, pursuing a worthwhile career and supporting her family, including her husband Zach and their two kids, Gwen and Erik. At the core of their bond was good meals. Then, everything changed …
“I went from math camp teacher, tutor, full-time mom, full-time college student, to sleeping 20 hours a day and having trouble holding my head up,” Rebekah shares.
