Lauren Cochlin Supports Access to Fresh Foods Through Powering Milwaukee Forward

At Hunger Task Force, feeding the Milwaukee community with dignity requires strong partnerships and organizations that believe, as we do, that food is a human right. This year, Hunger Task Force was honored to be selected as a Year 1 grantee of Powering Milwaukee Forward (PMF), a new initiative supported by GE HealthCare, the GE HealthCare Foundation and the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation (CAFF). Funding from PMF strengthened the Hunger Task Force Mobile Market, our grocery store on wheels serving neighborhoods with limited access to affordable, nutritious groceries.

Though the Antetokounmpo name is known worldwide, the family’s commitment to Milwaukee remains deeply personal. For Lauren Cochlin, CAFF’s Global Director, the connection is just as meaningful. A former captain of the Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Soccer Team with a background in public health, Lauren spent a decade in Wisconsin and still considers Milwaukee a place that shaped her both professionally and personally.

“To be able to dig in deeply into the communities that shaped me as a leader – and shaped the foundation’s board and founders – is incredibly meaningful,” she shares.

Lauren’s relationship with Hunger Task Force dates back 10 years. While working with healthTIDE, a statewide network promoting healthy eating and active living, she first partnered with Hunger Task Force and witnessed the early days of the Mobile Market. Seeing the program then, and supporting it today through PMF, has brought her experience full circle.

“To be working with Hunger Task Force and supporting the Mobile Market again is deeply meaningful. It underscores the commitment and consistency of this organization,” she shares.

PMF is designed to invest in the same forces that shaped the Antetokounmpo family’s journey: access to basic needs, opportunities to play and a belief that strong communities are built by giving people the chance to thrive.

CAFF’s partnership with Hunger Task Force is rooted in a shared willingness to take bold, creative action. Lauren points to the Mobile Market as an example of how innovation can meet need in a dignified manner. “Hunger Task Force is not afraid to think outside the box and invest in strategic solutions that directly support the mission and feeds families in our communities.”

But Lauren’s connection to this work is also emotional. She carries a genuine desire to support the communities that shaped her leadership and the Antetokounmpo family’s journey. “There’s a lot of brokenness and hurt in the world right now, and sometimes that can feel really overwhelming – like so many things are beyond your control.” But the ability to make an impact at a local level sustains Lauren. “I think digging into your local community, being where your feet are, and doing what you can with what you have is a deeply effective way to feel like you have some agency. We can all do our part to find the good – to be the good we want to see in the world.”

Looking to the future, Lauren envisions PMF evolving as a “core cohort” of nonprofits that lead with shared purpose and collective strength. She describes the initiative as a team effort and one that mirrors the Antetokounmpo family’s values and the trust they place in local leaders. Her hope is to deepen relationships, strengthen the network of organizations committed to upstream change and inspire more people to recognize their own ability to make a difference.

As a proud Powering Milwaukee Forward Year 1 grantee, Hunger Task Force is grateful not only for the investment in the Mobile Market, but for Lauren’s leadership and vision. Her blend of strategic thinking, personal commitment and the belief that Milwaukee is strongest when organizations work together ensures every child, family and older adult can thrive.

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