It was the week many were expecting to lose their SNAP benefits. The holidays were right around the corner and people were stressed about making ends meet and having enough food for their families. But in Northeast Wisconsin, the entire community seemed to mobilize to help their neighbors. News of new food drives filled our social media feeds and the local news shows. Trim Hunger was right there to fill the gaps.
A day in the life of Trim hunger
One day in particular stands out. It was a whirlwind! It started out with Josif making an appearance on Fox 11’s Good Day Wisconsin. As the founder of Trim Hunger, he spoke about the upcoming Grateful Groove holiday concert and fundraiser. It was a 7:45 a.m.arrival time. Later that morning he was a guest on WHBY radio to talk about the same event, and another coming up in February. Josif and radio host Hayley Tenpas are both taking part in Just Dance, dancing and raising funds for a local nonprofit of their choice.
Getting the message out
In between media appearances, Josif juggles several incoming calls and texts about Trim Hunger and several things happening in the community. First, the installation of the second Shared Shelf. The 24/7 little pantry is going up outside of McKinley Elementary in Appleton. After a few frantic calls between the school, diggers hotline, and the builder, the project finally got the go ahead! While they install the shelf, a volunteer heads to the grocery store to get some staples for it. After the radio spot, Josif runs to the school to help unload the groceries and fill the shelves for the first time with the school’s principal.
Hot meals for those in need
A busy day already, and Trim Hunger answers another call. The owner of Heirloom Kitchen catering reached out to say she had 50-plus hot meals to donate. Tracy said when she heard about the delay in SNAP benefits, she “wouldn’t stand for it!” She started making extra food from her catering events, but she didn’t have the staff to put together the extra meals. Cue Trim Hunger volunteer Alex. He scooped chicken and potatoes and rice and the best mac and cheese into 50 to go containers. And then loaded them all into the Trim Hunger car.
But who could take the meals that needed to get out right away? A quick call to Ashley at the Kaukauna Public Library, who immediately said they could! They set out a table, did a facebook live and invited anyone who needed a hot meal to come and get it. The meals were gone in less than three hours! It turns out the timing was perfect. Students there for the afterschool program, filled their backpacks with meals to take back to their families.
By the end of the day, we’d been pulled in every direction—coordinating volunteers, answering calls, running supplies, and talking with anyone who wanted to learn more. But we did it! The Little Free Pantry went up, people received their free meals, and local media picked up the story about what we do at Trim Hunger. It was a long day, but a good one, and it showed exactly why this work matters.