Holiday 2023 Newsletter
Lindsay Stayton Photography
Letter from the President & CEO
As I read through this newsletter, one word keeps going through my mind:
Gratitude.
I’m forever grateful for friends like you who support Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. Thanks to you, people experiencing food insecurity are finding the help and hope that they need this holiday season through our Food for the Holidays campaign.
I’m also grateful as I read the stories in this issue, stories of people who have been directly helped by your generosity, stories of those who will be able to put food on the table this holiday season — and beyond. You’ve lightened the load for each of them, reducing some of the stress brought on by high grocery prices and other expenses.
“This Place is a Blessing” 
Deborah moved to America from Nigeria years ago, raising her family in Georgia outside of Atlanta. But she says she recently felt called to move to Kenosha, so she picked up and moved by herself to follow her dreams.
Things were going well enough for Deborah until she lost her job in June. Once her bills were paid, it only took a few weeks before she didn’t have enough to continue to pay her rent at the hotel where she lived. She wound up homeless and spent two nights sleeping outside with no shelter.
“It’s a BIG Help”
Jessee and Lydia have had their share of hardship. Jessee suffered a severe back injury recently and has been unable to work for a few months now. He desperately needs back surgery, but without insurance, he hasn’t been able to come up with the funds.
“I can’t get on disability until I have the surgery, and I can’t have surgery without money, so it’s an impossible situation,” he says.
Sense of Purpose
Mickie has been volunteering at Fondy Food Pantry, a Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin partner, for about five years.
After retiring, Mickie and her husband spent a lot of time traveling and seeing the world, but she felt like she still had more to do.
“I have this strong need for a sense of purpose,” Mickie says. “And so that kind of haunted me and I said, ‘There’s more to life than seeing things.’”
“It Will Help Us a Lot”
Every month, 100 or so cars line up for the Oconomowoc Mobile Food Pantry, some waiting for hours.
Sadly, August 2023 was the last distribution, as the site closed for lack of funding. We visited this pantry on the last day, listening to neighbors express gratitude and lament the loss of a vital pantry in a community with so much need.
One of the visitors, Ashley, stopped with her daughter, Heidi, visiting for the first time. “We’re going through some financial difficulties right now with the economy and my husband being out of work, so this is really good,” she says. “It will help us a lot.”
Say “nOPE” to Hunger With Charlie Berens
We’ve just kicked off our Food for the Holidays campaign, and joining us this year as our ambassador is comedian Charlie Berens, famous for poking fun at his fellow Wisconsinites. Berens is passionate about ensuring all Wisconsin families have the food they need, and we’re excited to have him on board! We’re also excited to share some more good news with you:
Every $1 you give right now provides 4 meals for your Wisconsin neighbors facing hunger. That’s enough to feed a whole family!
