Eight million pounds of free food

We distribute food free of charge to our network of partner pantries, shelters and soup kitchens. The food comes from four main sources: donations from individuals and businesses, the farm we operate in Franklin, government commodity programs and wholesale purchases.

Donated Food
Hunger Task Force organizes wide-scale food drives. Workplaces, faith-based groups, unions, service clubs and schools organize seasonal food drives in support of our food bank. Individuals also contribute greatly to our needs by dropping off bags of food at our donation dock. Many commercial food processors or retailers also make donations of nutritious food in bulk. The more food that is donated, the less we have to purchase. This donated food is sorted so that healthy and nutritious food is then distributed to our network of qualified local pantries, meal programs and homeless shelters.

Fresh Foods
Since 1999, Hunger Task Force has actively committed to improving the nutritional value of foods in the emergency food pipeline by integrating perishable foods into the food packages or meals provided by our network of partners. For the last two years, we have distributed over 1.5 million pounds of fresh and perishable foods. Much of this fresh food comes in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables from Hunger Task Force's farm in Franklin. Other donors of fresh and perishable foods include area grocery stores, institutional food service providers, wholesalers and farmers.

Government Commodity Programs
Since 1998, Hunger Task Force has combined donated foods with surplus government commodities to ensure a more robust and varied source of emergency food. In Milwaukee County, Hunger Task Force administers the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). We also distribute food from the USDA's Commodity Supplemental Food Program (which is called Stockbox in Wisconsin). This food is delivered on a monthly or weekly basis to our program partners in amounts that reflect the nutritional needs of the guests served at the program.

Purchased Food
Hunger Task Force uses donated funds to purchase full truckloads of food when food contributions are short of demand. Because we are able to buy in bulk, every $1 we spend on food buys $2 of food at retail prices.