Hunger Task Force and The Gathering Partner to Provide Free Hot Meals to Anyone in Need

May 21, 2026

With four locations across Milwaukee, The Gathering is providing delicious and nutritious hot meals to people in need for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more than 25 years, Hunger Task Force and The Gathering have worked together to ensure the meal program can meet community demand so anyone in need receives a free and healthy meal in their community on the day they need it.

“I would say about 70 percent of our food comes from Hunger Task Force,” says Lyn Hildebrand, executive director of The Gathering. “Thanks to strong support from Hunger Task Force, we were able to serve 127,000 meals last year.”

The Gathering sees an increase in the number of children and women visiting the meal program – especially for breakfast – during the summer months. Throughout the school year, many children receive free school breakfast and lunch to keep them fueled throughout the day. When summer break starts, kids lose access to these meals and many families need to turn to a meal site or food pantry to fill in the gap.

“There are so many kids in the neighborhood on 13th and Fond du Lac that need something to eat,” adds Lyn. “This year has been different for us with the increase in costs of living. We’ve already welcomed an uptick in children to our meal sites during Spring Break and we anticipate even more children will come for healthy meals throughout the summer.”

Since Lyn joined the organization seven years ago, the partnership between Hunger Task Force and The Gathering has grown. The organization has received grants through Hunger Task Force’s Network Support Fund, which helps local hunger relief partners enhance their operations by purchasing needed infrastructure such as freezers, refrigerators, shelving and more.

The population The Gathering feeds has also changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the clients the meal program served were predominately homeless men living in Milwaukee. Now, the organization is serving an increasing number of working-class families who cannot make ends meet with the rising costs in rent, utilities, food and gas.

“It makes me so sad that someone who is working full-time has to turn to a soup kitchen to feed their family because they cannot afford all of life’s costs,” adds Lyn. “They need to make the decision to pay their rent and utility bills to keep a roof over their family’s head and keep them comfortable, which means not buying the groceries they also need. We take pride in being a welcoming community resource to take some stress off families.”

The Gathering has four locations in Milwaukee.

The Gathering at Running Rebels (1300 W. Fond du Lac Avenue) is open for breakfast Monday through Friday from 9 – 10 a.m. and lunch on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The Gathering at Ascension Lutheran Church (1236 S. Layton Boulevard) is open for lunch on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and dinner on Wednesday from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
The Gathering at Redeemer Lutheran Church (1905 W. Wisconsin Avenue) is open for lunch on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The Gathering at Mt. Carmel (8424 W. Center Street) is open for lunch on the second and fourth Saturday of the month from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The Gathering is actively seeking volunteers to help serve meals during the summer.

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.