Food Delivery
Our food bank provides monthly product delivery to 32 food pantries and other partner programs in rural communities in west central Wisconsin. The delivery program is made possible by the service of more than 25 volunteer drivers. A refrigerated truck with the capacity to hold eight pallets was purchased in 2006 with generous support from the Otto Bremer Foundation and the USDA.
Weekend Kid’s Meals
Our food bank assembles and distributes more than 1,200 weekend meals each week to children who may lack adequate food when meals at school are not available. The program is offered at targeted schools and community centers in both rural and urban areas.
Mobile Cooler
Feed My People Food Bank provides a food shelf on wheels to communities where pantries lack adequate refrigeration space. Currently, Menomonie and Chippewa Falls host the Mobile Cooler once each month.
Perishable Goods
Our food bank distributes 5,000 pounds of fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy products each week. The majority of this food is obtained from Second Harvest Heartland in St. Paul.
Empty Bowls
Feed My People’s annual signature fundraiser features handcrafted bowls made by university students and local and regional potters and a meal of soup, bread, and desserts, donated by Eau Claire area merchants and community volunteers. Funds have been raised through sponsorships and ticket sales since 2001.
Learn more about our empty bowls fundraiser.
Open House
Our food bank sets aside a special evening each February and invites community members to take a peek inside the distribution center. Tours and treats are offered. Information highlighting Feed My People Food Bank's programs and impact is displayed.
Agency Gatherings
Feed My People Food Bank facilitates opportunities once or twice annually for representatives from food pantries in west central Wisconsin to receive and share information on current trends and best practices in running effective hunger relief programs.
Agency Advocate
Our Eau Claire based food bank strives to assist and support partner agencies. Buckets for Hunger, an annual fundraising event, is facilitated by Feed My People Food Bank. Agencies solicit financial donations which are matched dollar for dollar by the Buckets for Hunger organization and used as food credits at the food bank. Food credits have also been offered as an incentive for food pantries taking initiatives to increase the amount of food that reaches people in need. Grant writing support is another example of agency assistance that is offered.
On Our Behalf
There are many major annual projects organized by community, business, and service groups that benefit our food bank. The annual impact of the following projects is approximately $50,000 and 85,000 pounds of food donated to Feed My People Food Bank.
Load-A-Truck is a food and fund drive coordinated by Eau Claire area churches each May. Between 15 and 20 churches “load trucks” with food which is delivered to the warehouse and sorted and packed by volunteers. Stamp Out Hunger is a May food drive organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Letter carriers in Eau Claire collect food donations on their mail routes and deliver one-third of it to the food bank where it is sorted and packed. This food is made available to any member agency that did not receive sufficient amounts of food from the Stamp Out Hunger food drive in their community. CROP Walk is an effort by Church World Service and a Chippewa Valley coalition of churches to combat hunger locally and worldwide. The walk takes place in October in Carson Park in Eau Claire. One fourth of the money collected through pledges is donated to Feed My People Food Bank. Stuff-A-Truck is a community wide winter holiday food and fund drive in Chippewa and Eau Claire counties coordinated by Gordy’s County Market. Local schools, the media, businesses, and community members participate. Stuff-A-Bus is a food and fund drive sponsored by Festival Foods and Eau Claire Transit in the fall. Donors receive a free bus ride in exchange for a donation to Feed My People Food Bank. Xcel Energy employees have supported Feed My People Food Bank annually since 1989 by raising substantial funds through auctions, luncheon events, individual donations, and foundation matching funds. UW-Eau Claire Soup and Bread Night is an opportunity for students to enjoy a simple meal of soup and bread and donate funds otherwise spent on a meal to our food bank. UW-Eau Claire “Don’t Dump – Donate It” provides collection containers and encourages students leaving campus to donate unused food. Wisconsin Deer Donation Program is utilized by many hunters. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources covers the majority of the processing fee at specified locations throughout the state. Our food bank receives venison from Mike’s Star Market in Eau Claire and from other processors when there is more venison than the local food pantries can handle. Learn more. Biking for Bread is done by Larry Everson with support from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. Larry collects pledges for the food bank while biking thousands of miles each April through October.
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