On June 6th, 2023, The Gathering was chosen as one of three winners of the Impact100 Greater Milwaukee $100,000 award. We are so thankful to Impact100 for this grant!
Impact100 Greater Milwaukee is “an organization of women who collectively award transformative grants that make a lasting impact on the community” according to their website. Their grants go to nonprofit organizations that support the Milwaukee area. The Gathering applied for this award and has gone through the rigorous selection process that Impact100 requires, including a letter of intent, full application process, walkthrough of the meal site and a final presentation for the top five recipients. This process started in December and The Gathering has been working hard through every step.
Executive Director Lyn Hildenbrand presented at the Awardees Gala on June 6th, 2023, to provide the Impact100 committee with more information about our mission and the impact that The Gathering creates through service to our community.
The Gathering’s Executive Director Lyn Hildenbrand on June 6, 2023, at the Impact100 Greater Milwaukee Awardees Gala.
Lyn’s speech stated that over 150,000 people suffer from food insecurity in the Milwaukee area. She went on to explain that hearing these numbers doesn’t always impact people. “We may read about it in the third paragraph of a news story--or hear an expert cite it in a panel discussion…With surprising ease, we can let 150,000 go in one ear and out the other, never to be thought of again. But we will remember the ‘And one.’” Lyn described Jimmy - a man who has suffered from mental illness and has been homeless his whole life. And Maria - a single mother of three who works as a maid to make ends meet. Lastly, Yvonne - a ten-year-old who had to escape a domestic violence situation with her mother. All these people have a story on how food insecurity impacted them. Lyn explained that receiving this grant is “key to continuing to serve Yvonne and Jimmy and Maria, and all the other ‘And Ones’, that we have come to know and love.”
We are thrilled to receive this grant to purchase a walk-in refrigerator and freezer and rent additional storage space at our meal site at Running Rebels. The Gathering has wonderful volunteers, cooks, drivers, staff, and a supportive Board of Directors that help us serve our guests every day. Through this grant we can work to feed even more people because of the space we will receive to store more food.
The Gathering’s team at the Impact100 Greater Milwaukee Awardees Gala on June 6, 2023.
Special thank you to the other members of The Gathering’s team for attending the Awardees Gala; Breakfast and Inventory Coordinator Austin Pettigrew, Kitchen Coordinator Essence Boyle, Board President John Hickey, Board Vice President LeighAnn Zimmer, and Past Board President Nicole Hermann.
We sincerely thank Impact100 and their members for choosing The Gathering and helping us fulfill our mission to feed the hungry in mind, body, and spirit.
For additional news on The Gathering check out our Newsletter to stay up to date!
