For all media inquiries, please contact Kate Kazan, Communications & PR Manager.

Kate Kazan

Communications & PR Manager

[email protected]

t:414.238.6461 | m:414.708.3706

RECENT NEWS

Hunger Task Force’s take on hunger among older adults

Many seniors are living on fixed incomes, they have transportation issues, mobility issues, many seniors are homebound and they can’t access the grocery store. Hunger Task Force works to feed older adults with dignity through a variety of programs.

Meet No Kid Hungry’s Summer Nutrition Champion Stephanie Young

Summer nutrition takes a community effort. Meet Stephanie Young, Food Service Director at Beaver Dam Unified School District and a member of No Kid Hungry’s Summer EBT Champion Network, and learn how schools can help families access Summer EBT and other resources while school is out.

State grant is helping Wisconsin farmers stock food pantries

Hunger Task Force has launched “Connecting Farms to Families,” a new initiative backed by a $2.5 million grant through the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The program connects Wisconsin food assistance organizations directly with small and mid-sized farmers and producers across the state.

After a turbulent 2025, Wisconsin philanthropy recalibrates in 2026

Federal funding cuts forced nonprofits to rethink budgets, foundations fielded questions from anxious grantees and donors wondered where their dollars could make the biggest difference. A year later, many of those questions remain, but the frantic pace has slowed, according to several local nonprofit and philanthropy leaders.

Milwaukee food pantries report 50% uptick in visitors. How does hunger impact kids?

Hunger Task Force has seen a 50% increase in visits to its network of food pantries in just the last two years. Hunger takes a special toll on our youngest and often most vulnerable neighbors, according to Matt King, the CEO of Hunger Task Force, which is Milwaukee’s largest free food bank and anti-hunger organization.

Hunger Task Force Kicks Off the Milwaukee Summer Meals Collaborative on June 24th at Franklin Square Playfield

Hunger Task Force, alongside key local partners, will host a press conference to kick off the start of the Summer Meals Collaborative. This summer, kids and teens (18 and under) are invited to visit one of 130+ sites throughout Milwaukee County for free and nutritious summer meals.

MPS students learn where their food comes from

With the school year coming to an end, kids across Wisconsin letting out for summer break. Hunger Task Force is making sure that students and their families know the importance of making healthy choices while the kids are out of school.

New Hunger Task Force program aims to stabilize both pantry shelves and farm revenue

Hunger Task Force has launched “Connecting Farms to Families,” a new initiative backed by a $2.5 million grant through the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The program connects Wisconsin food assistance organizations directly with small and mid-sized farmers and producers across the state.

Congressional Republicans propose cutting WIC by $200 million

A proposal by a House subcommittee to reduce federal funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition assistance program by $200 million in the next budget year was debated in the House Appropriations Committee and approved by a vote of 35 to 25.

Changes to Wisconsin’s FoodShare program set to take effect this year

Decisions at both the federal and state levels are creating changes to Wisconsin’s version of the SNAP program. Data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) shows FoodShare had a monthly average of more than 650,000 participants as of March 2026. Starting Oct. 1, Wisconsin will be required to pay 75% of the cost of running FoodShare, with the federal government covering the other 25%.

Hunger Task Force News & Features

Applying for or receiving SNAP does not affect immigration status

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security want to make sure that everyone who qualifies for nutrition assistance gets that help. Applying for or receiving SNAP does not make you a public charge and will not affect immigration status.

A Conversation with Matt Stienstra, FoodShare Program Manager

In preparation for relaunching a Voices Against Hunger newsletter, we sat down with Matt Stienstra, FoodShare Program Manager and former Advocacy Campaign Manager at Hunger Task Force. Matt discusses the importance of FoodShare and shares advice for accepting the responsibility of taking on and leading a citizen advocacy group.

Hunger Task Force 2021 Annual Report now available online

Explore this convenient, digital version of the Hunger Task Force 2021 Annual Report! Hunger Task Force is on a mission. We feed people today and we end hunger tomorrow. Learn more about our work last year, our ongoing programs and some of the biggest wins from 2021 in our Annual Report!

Afghan families receive familiar foods from Hunger Task Force

Hunger Task Force is collaborating with the Hanan Refugee Relief Group and Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition to provide customized, culturally-appropriate food boxes to relocated Afghan guests. Culturally appropriate food boxes were delivered to 65 Afghan families who were relocated from Ft. McCoy to Milwaukee.

Hunger Task Force and Marieke Gouda awarded Farm to Food Bank Project Funding

In November 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the award of more than $7.5 million in funding to Farm to Food Bank Projects for 2022. While funding will support organizations across 29 states and territories, Hunger Task Force – and partner Marieke Gouda – are the sole project from the state of Wisconsin receiving funds.

Nutrition Education Team shares favorite holiday recipes

The holiday season is often filled with time-honored traditions that include some of our favorite meals and foods. Our Nutrition Education Team put together some of their favorite simple holiday traditions and recipes to share. We hope you enjoy them – and maybe build some new traditions of your own!

Hunger Next Door photo exhibit continues tour through Wisconsin communities

Hunger Next Door is a Hunger Task Force photo project that illustrates the reality of hunger in our community. While the project debuted back in 2014, the photo exhibit has been steadily in rotation for the last seven years and has been seen by countless community members, students, civic leaders, legislators and anti-hunger partners along the way.

Potawatomi’s Heart of Canal Street gifts $100,000 to Hunger Task Force and other organizations

Hunger Task Force was joined by four local organizations – Running Rebels, Digital Bridge, Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center and Journey House – to receive donations for outstanding service to children and families during the pandemic. Each received a generous $100,000 gift from Heart of Canal Street. In all, more than half a million dollars were distributed through the program this season.

Raymond James’ Gary Sievewright discusses corporate engagement and personal commitment to Hunger Task Force

Early in his finance career, Gary Sievewright was taught by a mentor that you work hard, and you give back to your community. Now, as Senior Vice President of Investments and Complex Manager for Wisconsin at Raymond James & Associates, Sievewright has continued to live his live by this code. His passion for anti-hunger work has led him to be a vocal corporate advocate for Hunger Task Force for nearly 15 years.

Volunteer couple enjoys range of opportunities to serve at Hunger Task Force

Pat and Jay Mierendorf have served with Hunger Task Force for nearly 30 years. The pair choose to live by the mantra of: There are two kinds of people in the world – 1) those that need help and 2) those that give help. “Since we don’t need help right now,” shares Pat, “we want to be the people that give help.”

Hunger Task Force Mobile Market featured nationally on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

Hunger Task Force and our Mobile Market partnership with Piggly Wiggly was featured nationally on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt on Wednesday, November 24, 2021. We are excited to share this “grocery store on wheels” model more broadly and are steadfast in our commitment to providing fresh options to food deserts – areas with limited access to affordable and healthy foods.

Hunger Task Force rolls out Stockbox program to new Wisconsin county with aid of delivery “spokes-person”

Hunger Task Force recently began partnering with Trevor Roark, Owner and Piot of Curbwise LLC – a bicycle-powered delivery service – to “roll out” the new Stevens Point delivery area for the Senior Stockbox Program. Now, Roark will be pedaling on each month through all kinds of weather, providing seniors with the most important necessity – healthy food from Hunger Task Force.

Stories of Those Who Served: Hunger Task Force Honors Veterans

November 11 is Veterans Day, and Hunger Task Force honors those who are serving, or have served, in the Armed Forces. In line with our core values – Justice, Compassion, Stewardship and Justice – Hunger Task Force extends our deepest gratitude to clients, staff, donors and volunteers who have served our country.

Exciting changes for the Mobile Market – New Driver. New Schedule. New Discount!

The Mobile Market is a grocery store on wheels that travels throughout Milwaukee County, visiting communities with little to no access to fresh foods. With help from a federal grant, Hunger Task Force discount all groceries purchased at the Mobile Market. Recently, the discount was doubled from 25% to 50% on all items.

Meet the Artist: Mariet Bejarano – Holiday Cards 2021

Mariet Bejarano was born and raised in Milwaukee. She is currently a graduate student at Marquette University studying Digital Communication Strategies. Mariet has been drawing since she was young and is inspired by children’s books. Mariet enjoys creating in all forms of digital art including video, graphic design and digital illustration.

Meet the Artist: Joe Meinecke – Holiday Cards 2021

Joe Meinecke is a Producer for the Milwaukee Radio Group and amateur photographer from Muskego, WI. His love of photography goes all the way back to high school. In the past several years, nature, landscapes and birds have been Joe’s chosen subjects. Many of Joe’s photos have also been featured by the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center.

Meet the Artist: Robb Helf – Holiday Cards 2021

Robb Helf is an artist and illustrator from Cedarburg, WI specializing in oil, acrylic, pen, watercolor and charcoal. His pieces have received awards from the Society of News Design, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. He is a graduate of Carroll University in Waukesha, WI with a degree in Commercial Art.

With the 2021 harvest season coming to a close, Hunger Task Force plans ahead at The Farm

The Hunger Task Force Farm is a substantial source of fruits and vegetables for the local network of emergency food pantries and meal programs served by Hunger Task Force. The Farm has been around since 1839 and has seen an end to the harvest hundreds of times. This period, marked by cooling weather and final days in the field, ushers in winter planning and budgeting for the next season.

‘Summer Meals’ provides 200k+ summertime meals for children in 2021

Summertime is a peak season for childhood hunger as students go without meals they would normally receive at school. To combat summer hunger, the federal Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides nutritious meals to children aged 18 or younger during the summer months. Hunger Task Force administers the SFSP in such a large and inclusive way that it’s often dubbed the “Milwaukee Model.”

Hunger Task Force kicks off annual ‘Food For Families’ holiday food drive

It’s time for the 2022 True Inspiration Awards at Chick-fil-A, and Hunger Task Force is a finalist! The True Inspiration Awards™ program was created in 2015 to honor the legacy of Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy. Through these annual grants, we are proud to celebrate and support nonprofit organizations who are Black-led or serve communities of color and who are working in the areas of education, hunger or homelessness.

Hunger Task Force invests in network partners

This fall, an extra $500,000 of funding through The Emergency Food Assistance Program was made available to build capacity in the emergency food network so programs could take on more food and operate safely during no-contact distributions. Hunger Task Force invested 100% of these federal funds into our network, purchasing over 600 items including transit vans, refrigerators, freezers, pallet jacks, racks, PPE supplies, tables and more.