I N O U R C O M M U N I T I E S

2 0 1 8 A N N U A L R E P O R T

ROOTED

FeedingAmericaWI.org

MISSION GUIDINGPRINCIPLES

CollaborationCommitmentCompassionDignityInnovationSustainability

A hunger-free Wisconsin.

To solve hunger.

We believe …… together we can solve hunger.

… access to nutritious food is a right for all.

… all people deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion.

… collaboration with partners throughout our community lead to innovative solutions.

… our people are our most valuable asset.

… in fiscal responsibil ity, transparency and accountabil ity.

CORE VALUES

VISION

Milwaukee1700 W. Fond du Lac AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53205414.931.7400

Fox Valley2911 W. Evergreen DriveAppleton, WI 54913920.202.3690

To learn more about our work and how you

can help, go to FeedingAmericaWI.org

Dear Friends, Over the last year, we have made a shift as

an organization and are focusing on finding

innovative ways to solve hunger. We are

experiencing a momentum fueled by the success

of our partnerships. Through collaborations

with our network of pantries, farmers and donor

partners, we are solving hunger in new and

healthy ways.

Food insecurity has a huge impact on the

overall health of the individual. We don’t want

to just provide food, we want to provide fresh,

healthy food that will make the members of the

communities we serve healthier and stronger.

The move to sourcing fresh produce created

a new challenge of storing and transporting

a more fragile type of inventory. This was a

challenge we were willing to take on. And with

the help of sponsors, we’re providing food

pantries with grant opportunities to improve

their capacity and give them the tools they need

to store and distribute more perishable items.

It’s our pantries on the frontlines who are doing

the hard work of serving the ones in need. We

are truly here to support the pantries and the

work they do.

Through our FarmLink program, we work

directly with local farmers to source this fresh

produce for our member pantries. Since we are

receiving the product on the front end, we’re

adding days or weeks more viability than most

produce received through traditional donations

or purchasing.

The strength of our network of over 600 local

food pantries is what allows us to serve such a large

footprint of 36 counties. With our diverse footprint

of rural and metro counties, we continue to make

adjustments to our strategy—adding senior mobile

food panties in rural areas and Grow Machines in metro

areas—making sure the same resources are available

across our service area.

We want to share with you a few of the innovative

ways we have worked with our network of supporters

to fight hunger in new ways, ensuring healthy food

makes it to the tables of those facing hunger.

Thank you for the role that you play. Together we

can solve hunger.

With many thanks and appreciation,

We are very pleased to

welcome Andrew Schlesinger,

president at Andrew

Automotive Group, to his new

role as Board Chairman on

the Feeding America Eastern

Wisconsin Board of Directors.

Andrew has served us well as

a board member since 2009,

and we are confident his skills

and experience that we have

benefitted from over the last

nine years will continue to be

an asset as we move forward in

our fight to end hunger. Andrew

succeeds William M. Bohn,

executive vice president

of Associated Bank, who will

remain on our foundation board.

Andrew Schlesinger, ChairmanFeeding America Eastern WisconsinBoard of Directors

William M. Bohn, Immediate Past ChairmanFeeding America Eastern WisconsinBoard of Directors

Patti Habeck, PresidentFeeding America Eastern Wisconsin

R O O T E D I N O U R C O M M U N I T I E S

Through collaborations with our network of pantries,

farmers and donor partners, we are solving hunger in

new healthy ways.

BuildingCapacity, Strengthening Security

SolvingHunger at the CommunityLevel

Twelve years ago, Todd was

making more than $25 an hour

doing construction and was

planning to buy a house when

back problems left him out

of a job.

“I went from having everything

to homeless,” Todd said.

“It’s unbelievable how fast it

happens.”

It took several years for Todd

to receive disability assistance,

and almost half of what he now

receives is used to pay rent for

his low-income apartment.

Todd visits the Freedom

Center Food Pantry in Appleton

and waits for a volunteer to

call him into the shopping area

for groceries to help get him

through the week.

Food donations at the pantry

were scarce until they connected

with Feeding America Eastern

Wisconsin, which provides about

90 percent of its stock.

The food bank also provides

pantries with capacity-building

opportunities through technical

workshops and grant programs

so they can help more people

like Todd.

“How do you survive with no

income for three years if you’re

disabled?” Todd said. “It’s a

nightmare, it really is—and places

like this, they are a godsend.”

An energetic and friendly

70-year-old, Meri can often

be found volunteering at the

Friedens Community Ministries

food pantry. Once strained by

the pressures of working

full-time and raising three of her

grandchildren, she has been a

client of Friedens as well.

“When you go to a pantry

it’s a humbling experience.

It can also be a demeaning

experience,” Meri said. “I walked

into this one and they treated

you with respect and dignity,

and that meant a lot to me.”

Meri, now the primary

caregiver for her great-

granddaughter, became a

volunteer about six years ago.

“I don’t know what I’d do

without it,” Meri said. “Between

my great-granddaughter and

this pantry, this is my life.”

Feeding America Eastern

Wisconsin helps the four

Friedens pantries keep a steady

and diverse supply of food that

helps the organization build

relationships with clients who

often turn into volunteers.

“We didn’t always have a

steady supply of food,” said

Catherine Draeger-Pederson,

executive director of Friedens

Community Ministries. “We

can get so much more through

our partnership with Feeding

America Eastern Wisconsin.”

the power of

network

“I went from having everything to homeless,” Todd said. “It’s unbelievable how fast it happens.”

Cultivating Fresh Foods— and a Fresh Start

In the lobby of the Sojourner

Family Peace Center in

Milwaukee, a space-age-looking

Grow Machine is cultivating more

than leafy greens. Sojourner

installed two Grow Machines,

which are essentially vertical

hydroponic units, created

by Alex Tyink of Fork Farms.

Feeding America Eastern

Wisconsin wrote a grant to

purchase the machines for

the center.

“We want people to know that

we’re here to give them warmth,

love, care and dignity, and food

is very much a part of that,” said

Carmen Pitre, president & CEO

of Sojourner Family Peace

Center in Milwaukee.

Feeding America Eastern

Wisconsin now has 28 of the

Grow Machines placed with its

member agencies and plans

for more. The machines allow

on-site production of lettuce,

kale, herbs and other vegetables,

producing high-nutrient,

pesticide-free foods in a quick

21-day harvest cycle.

The cycle of planting, growing

and harvesting is a process that

takes time and can be a powerful

metaphor for clients.

“You don’t come in and heal

in one day totally,” Carmen said.

“Healing and restoration of a

violence-free life can be

a journey.”

fresh produce initiative

“You haveno choice but to grow upward.” —Kathy Hoffman, Healthy Harvest FarmExecutive Director

Hunger Solutionsby the Barrel

Kathy Hoffman will soon harvest

a million pounds of food from

her innovative barrel system

on just one acre of land. The

55-gallon barrels, which are

repurposed donation bins

provided to Healthy Harvest

Farm by Feeding America

Eastern Wisconsin, have a series

of openings for plants to grow

out from the sides. As soon as

a plant is harvested, a seedling

replaces it immediately.

“There’s going to be so much

food,” Kathy said. “My biggest

concern at that point is being

able to move it and keep it fresh

so everyone can enjoy it.”

That’s where Feeding America

Eastern Wisconsin comes in. The

food bank has the infrastructure

to pick up the food, get it to

their food banks and distribute

it to a network of over 600

pantries. The food bank also

wrote a grant for the hoop

house that allows Kathy to grow

food year-round.

“People have a hard time

imagining growing a million

pounds of food on an acre, but

it’s done all around the world

where you don’t have the space

to spread out,” Kathy said.

“You have no choice but to

grow upward.”

“We feed quite a few clients through the shelter, and it really does help them to get fresh, healthy food.” —Laurel, Sojourner volunteer and client

Mobile Markets take Food on the Road

During a Senior Mobile Food

Pantry distribution in the

Marquette County town of

Neshkoro, a community librarian

loaded up bags of fresh produce

to deliver to seniors.

The program offers fresh

produce to seniors in rural

areas who might not have easy

access to large grocery stores

or affordable fresh items. The

food pantry truck contains

dry and refrigerated bays for

meats, dairy and produce.

Generous support from Bader

Philanthropies allowed Feeding

America Eastern Wisconsin to

pilot the program in 2018.

The fresh produce is

purchased through Feeding

America Eastern Wisconsin’s

FarmLink program. The

organization contracts with

local farmers to help remove

economic and logistical barriers,

making their produce more

accessible to local communities.

“We try to support our local

growers, and in return, we’ve

started to see more donations

trickle in,” said Carey Redmann,

member services manager

at Feeding America Eastern

Wisconsin. “It’s very exciting to

be able to share that, and the

quality is just superb.”

bootson the

ground

“We try to support our local growers, and in return we’ve started to see more donations.” —Carey Redmann, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin Member Services Manager

creative partnerships

Feed the Body, Feed the Soulwith the helpof OshkoshCorporation

At the second annual Feed

the Body, Feed the Soul musical

experience, concertgoers

enjoyed a Salute to Tom Petty

while knowing a portion of all

ticket sales would be used

to purchase food for a packing

event following the fundraiser.

The event, sponsored by

Oshkosh Corporation in

partnership with Refuge

Foundation for the Arts, helps

fight hunger in northeast

Wisconsin.

Weeks after the musical

experience, a team of volunteers

from Oshkosh Corporation,

schools, companies, the

community, church and civic

groups gathered with Feeding

America Eastern Wisconsin staff

at the Menominee Nation Arena

in Oshkosh. More than 900

volunteers packed over 180,000

pounds of pasta, rice and beans

over 15 hours. As they packed,

volunteers enjoyed live music

played by local musicians.

20 Years of Stuff the Buswith WMYX

Since 1998, radio station

99.1 WMYX, Pick ‘n Save and

the Milwaukee County Transit

System have partnered to

Stuff the Bus to fight hunger on

the day before Thanksgiving.

The 99.1 WMYX Morning Mix

show hosts Elizabeth and Radar

broadcast live for 12 hours

and ask generous community

members to stop by to give

everything from cash to cans to

frozen turkeys. Feeding America

Eastern Wisconsin then sorts

and packages the donations to

make sure local families have

a great holiday season. Stuff

the Bus has collected nearly

3.5 million pounds of food to

feed the local community in its

20-year history.

“Stuff the Bus is such a great

example of what can happen

when we all come together

to help others,” said Elizabeth

Kay. “From kids donating

their change jars, high schools

bringing in car loads of food, to

businesses bringing in semis of

food from their employees, it

takes all of us to make this such

a huge success each year. The

Mix is honored to have been a

part of this event for the past 20

years. We have the best listeners

who truly care about helping

their communities and their

donations to Stuff the Bus are a

testament to that commitment

to helping others.”

“Thanks to the work of team members at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Oshkosh Corporation, we’ve been able to grow an army of volunteers, attack poverty through packaging key food staples and feed our soul through the arts (music).” —Jodie Larsen, Vice President of Community Engagement at Oshkosh Corporation

“Stuff the Bus is such a great example of what can happen when we all come together to help others.” —Elizabeth Kay,Morning Mix co-host

the people behind the

mission

31.5millionpounds of food brought in

9.7 MILpounds of food

provided by retailpartners directly

to members throughthe Direct Connect

program

617,561 lbs. of food distributed through the ExtraHelpings program

pounds of food were distributed through 88 mobile pantries

at 47 locations

Feeding AmericaEastern Wisconsin

trucks traveled

258,105miles to collect food

An average of

605,400 lbs.of food is delivered

each week to the two food banks

peopleservedthroughmobilepantries

718FOOD DONORS

(manufacturers,retailers & growers)

OVER500,000meals providedto local familiesthrough SNAP*

outreach

27.8 MILpounds of fooddistributed to 600+ membersacross 36 counties

8.8MILpounds of fresh produce,meat and dairy wascollected from 472 retailpartners through theFresh Rescue program

23,650volunteers donated

77,463hours of service

our impact

64,788

1MIL

“It gives me great pride to be able to work closely with our members to fulfill such a worthy mission.” —Nathan Brandenburg, distribution coordinator

“Years ago when I was younger, I was homeless. There were people out there starving. It’s a nightmare. So I feel blessed to be able to be part of helping people on the streets get food.” — Denise Joshua, member services manager

*Supplemental NutritionAssistance Program

400,000people served,

including 41,000seniors and

125,000 children

Total Expenses $62,975,210

FEEDING AMERICAEASTERN WISCONSINBOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERSChairman Andy Schlesinger, President,

Andrew Automotive Group

Immediate Past Chairman William M. Bohn, EVP of Private

Client & Institutional Services,

Associated Bank

Vice Chairman Michael M. Fordney, Managing

Director, Food & Consumer

Group, BMO Harris Bank

Secretary Sally Piefer, Labor & Employment

Attorney, Lindner & Marsack, S.C.

Treasurer

William B. Coleman, President,

Coleman & Williams, LTD

President

Patti Habeck, President,

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin

BOARD MEMBERSRalph Beck, Chief Operating Officer,

Wisconsin Health Plan UnitedHealthcare

Harry J. Metrusias, Community

Volunteer

Cindy Moon-Mogush, Chief Marketing

& Communications Officer,

Bethesda Lutheran Communities

Dr. David Nelson, Associate Professor,

Family and Community Medicine,

Medical College of Wisconsin

Alan Petelinsek, Owner, Power Test, Inc.

Joan Phillips, Partner, Deloitte

Tammy Roou, Chief Risk Officer,

Northwestern Mutual

Anthony Ross, Ph.D., Professor,

UW-Milwaukee

John Rusiniak, Vice President, Quality

and Product Safety, Lakeside Foods

Mike Sprang, Vice President, Sales

and Marketing, Valley Bakers

Cooperative Association

Len Stecklein, Retired Executive

and Community Volunteer

Azad J. Virani, Sr. Vice President/

Head of Private & Community Banks,

U.S. Bank

Jan Wade, President & General

Manager, WISN-TV

STAFF LEADERSHIP Patti Habeck, President

Rayna Andrews, Director of

Community Engagement

and Member Services

Rick Perkins, Director of Operations

Scott Marshall, Director of

Development and Communications

Bob Malicki, Director of Finance

Bob Parsons, Director of Food

Resource

Terri Torbeck, Human Resources

Manager

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is committed to fiscal

responsibility and transparency. We are careful stewards of our

donors’ resources, ensuring that 97 percent of all contributions

go directly to supporting hunger-relief programs.

86.7% Donated Food

$51,814,332

97.3%Program Services

$61,296,391

.9%General &

Administrative$573,843

1.8%Fundraising$1,104,976

8.9%Contributions & Grants

$5,329,307

2.2% Shared Maintenance

$1,291,458

2.2% Other

$1,336,649

REVENUE & OTHER SUPPORT

EXPENSES

Total Support (food and funds) $59,771,746

$1 = 3 mealsACCREDITEDCHARITY

wisconsin.bbb.org

our finances

I N O U R C O M M U N I T I E S

2 0 1 8 A N N U A L R E P O R T

ROOTED

FeedingAmericaWI.org

MISSION GUIDINGPRINCIPLES

CollaborationCommitmentCompassionDignityInnovationSustainability

A hunger-free Wisconsin.

To solve hunger.

We believe …… together we can solve hunger.

… access to nutritious food is a right for all.

… all people deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion.

… collaboration with partners throughout our community lead to innovative solutions.

… our people are our most valuable asset.

… in fiscal responsibil ity, transparency and accountabil ity.

CORE VALUES

VISION

Milwaukee1700 W. Fond du Lac AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53205414.931.7400

Fox Valley2911 W. Evergreen DriveAppleton, WI 54913920.202.3690