With Food Support from Hunger Task Force, Good Samaritan Outreach Center Food Pantry Serves an Average of 460 Clients Monthly

For 40 years, Hunger Task Force and the Good Samaritan Outreach Center Food Pantry have partnered to help make back-to-school more affordable for families in Milwaukee by providing a diverse array of perishable and nonperishable healthy foods free of charge. Just this last year, Hunger Task Force provided nearly 65,000 lbs. of food for families in need. Hunger Task Force supplies 60% of all food available at the pantry absolutely free of charge.

“A lot of our clients work for low wages and rely on food stamps to purchase groceries they need,” said Shari Rozdzialowski, pantry director at Good Samaritan Outreach Center Food Pantry. “With the food prices as high as they are, it’s a relief to our clients to be able to come in and select an array of healthy foods to stock the shelves and fridge heading into the school year thanks to Hunger Task Force.”

During the 2023-2024 school year, more than 150,300 students participated in the school breakfast program in Wisconsin and another nearly 280,000 received school lunch. The programs are a huge help to low-income families, enabling them to stretch their grocery budget during the school year.

Fresh produce items are grown at the Hunger Task Force Farm in Franklin, Wisconsin, and delivered to pantry partners like Good Samaritan Outreach Center Food Pantry within 72 hours of being harvested and washed to ensure peak freshness. On the Farm, more than 70 varieties of 28 different crops are grown to ensure a well-rounded selection for those in need.

“Many of our clients cannot afford fresh produce due to the high costs, so they really appreciate having a good selection at our pantry,” Shari shares. “Especially for families, tomatoes, apples and pears are extremely popular and fly off of our shelves once we receive them.”

The pantry is open on Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and is located at 5924 W. Burnham Street. The pantry is conveniently located off a busy street and on a bus line. Many clients use the bus to transport groceries from the pantry to their homes and a large portion of the pantry’s volunteers have been with the organization for over 15 years.

Hunger Task Force is the only food bank in Milwaukee that does not charge for food, delivery or network membership and works diligently to ensure seniors and families can receive emergency food with dignity, on the day they need it and in the neighborhood they live in.

Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader. The organization’s core values are Dignity, Justice, Equity, Compassion and Stewardship. Hunger Task Force feeds people today by providing healthy and culturally appropriate food to hungry children, families and seniors in the community absolutely free of charge. Hunger Task Force also works to end future hunger by advocating for strong public policies and nutrition programs at the local, state and federal level.