The Resurrection Food Pantry of Green Bay is a 501(3c) charitable entity that was established in 1983 and has been in continuous service to people from Brown County ever since. It was founded as a distribution outlet for the Government distribution of surplus goods. 

Resurrection Lutheran Church is a small congregation that is committed to supporting the community (Brown County). Originally, the food was distributed out of a few refrigerators in the hallway at the church. As the number of families grew, we found we were limited by the space we had. The congregation purchased a commercial building across the parking lot from the church and converted 1/2 of it to warehouse and distribution space for the food pantry. The other half of the building was not heated and therefore not usable for the pantry. 

During the fall of 2018, a furnace was donated to the pantry, and we took over the rest of the building. We were blessed with additional contributions from area businesses that allowed us to put in new carpeting, a new roof, new front doors, and warehouse shelving. We have also received gifts of shopping carts and have added refrigeration and freezers to support the activity we do. 

We have also planted a garden behind the church to help provide fresh vegetables and herbs to the clients who come each week. 

The pantry is open every Thursday and the clients are allowed to get food from the pantry one time each month. The goal of the pantry is to reduce food insecurity in the community. We have many families that use the pantry every month. Many of the regular families struggle with medical issues and disabilities.

We have partnered with UW Extension to provide nutrition and cooking instructions at the pantry. This has changed many of the families from preprocessed food to a home cooked meal lifestyle. The pantry provides fresh fruits and vegetables as part of the nutrition match to the TEFAP food. 

We have interviewed several social agencies in the community to find out what the low income families and people need to improve their lives. Overwhelmingly, we were told that low income people and families, easily become socially isolated. Beginning early 2019, we decided that we would change the procedures and welcome the clients into the pantry about a 1/2 hour before we were schedule to begin distribution of food. Prior to that time, there were often arguments between clients about who was first in line and other issues. We now offer coffee, sweet breads, and cookies (baked specifically for them by our volunteers), and water or soda while they are waiting. The clients have calmed down and many have become friends with volunteers and each other. They watch out for one another and often provide food pick up and rides for those who have no transportation of their own. It has been an amazing change in the pantry environment. We have even had clients return just for the socialization and treats without picking up food. Many have liked how they were treated so much, they want to become a part of the team of volunteers to help keep the pantry running. 

Your help is needed to insure we can continue to support the food insecure people of the community. There are many, many stories that we have describing the importance of the food and the relationships we provide for the people who use this pantry. The benefits to the clients are significant but some of the volunteers are also benefiting by being able to provide service to the people who come to the pantry. The pantry gives value to the people who serve and those served. 

Requirements:

Photo ID: drivers license, school ID picture, passport, etc.

Proof of Address: utility bill, letter, lease, etc. 

Must be a brown county resident.

Must provide a phone number.

Must provide the names and dates of everyone in the household. 

For updates on the Food Pantry, follow us on Facebook at Resurrection Food Pantry. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.