Program Information - FY 2012/2013

Numbers and activities listed below are for our fiscal year – July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012

Total number of meals served in Fiscal Year 2012/2013: 150,336

Hot, homemade meals are served to all who come at no cost to the recipient.

BREAKFAST - 50,179 (ave. of 200 guests/meal)

Breakfast is served Monday through Friday mornings at our downtown site, St. James’ Episcopal Church, 833 W. Wisconsin Avenue. The majority of breakfast guests are adult males; 60-70% homeless. Legal, medical and mental health services are provided on site.

DINNER - 11,694 (ave. of 118 guests/meal)

Dinner is served Monday and Wednesday late afternoon at our south side location, Christian Faith Fellowship Church East, 724 S. Layton Blvd. Dinner guests come from the surrounding neighborhood; diverse in age and ethnic background.

Youth Volunteers in the serving line at the Dinner Program

SATURDAY LUNCH - 26,156 (ave. of 513 guests/Saturday)

Saturday lunch is served at the above two sites and at Our Next Generation Neighborhood Center (ONGNC) , 35th & Lisbon. Guests at ONGNC are primarily African American with 20-30% children. Lunch is also provide on the 4th Saturday of the month at Mt. Carmel Lutheran church, 82nd & Center.

SHELTER MEAL PROGRAM (SMP) - 53,949 meals

The Shelter Meal Program provided three meals every day to residents of three shelters managed by Community Advocates: Women’s Refuge homeless and domestic violence shelters and Autumn West, housing for adult mentally ill. Community Advocates funded the program and the Gathering provided the staffing, food and delivery of services.

Shelter Meal Program Staff Meeting

OUR NEXT GENERATION COLLABORATION - 8,358 meals

This tutoring/mentoring program at 35th & Lisbon – one of our Saturday Lunch sites – serves a light meal four afternoons each week to program participants of middle school and high school age. The Gathering provides the underlying support for these meals.

Mt Carmel Lutheran Church and the Gathering Collaboration Update

Volunteers at the Mt. Carmel meal Saturday, February 23rd

Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church on Milwaukee’s west side, has a mission that includes “compassionate community and service to others” and they certainly deliver what they promise. In 2011, Mt. Carmel noticed the needs of their community were changing. In an attempt to respond to those needs, they teamed up with the Gathering to start a meal in their neighborhood.  Dani Ovanin, Mt. Carmel’s youth ministry coordinator, explained how it happened. “We used to go door to door asking for food for food drives. Over the years, less and less people were able to give. We realized—hunger is not just an inner-city problem.” At the time, Mt. Carmel was regularly volunteering with the Gathering’s Saturday Lunch Program. After one such volunteer experience, the pastor turned to Dani and said, “we could do this,” and so they did. Mt. Carmel provides the space and volunteers to cook and serve the meal the fourth Saturday of each month, and the Gathering provides the food and supplies.  Thirty high school aged youth from the church have volunteered with the meals over the past several months.  Though the project started slowly with only five guests at the first meal in September 2011, Mt. Carmel is now serving up to 45 individuals each month.  “I am glad we stuck it out, “ Dani said, “The meal is very important to our guests. They are the best part.”

Lunch is served the fourth Saturday of the month from 11:30-12:30 – the same time and same menu as The Gathering’s three traditional community meal sites. Some guests arrive at 11 a.m. and help set up, or just visit and drink coffee. It is important to the Mt. Carmel volunteers to promote a community atmosphere of camaraderie and fellowship, adding personal touches such as place settings, table decorations, hot cocoa with marshmallows, occasional treat bags and even, sometimes, silly hats (see above). As Dani says, “The meal is one of my favorite things to do. It doesn’t matter how bad my week was, when I serve on Saturday I am happy. Everyone is so grateful and helpful.”

Program Information: FY 2011/2012

Numbers and activities listed below are for our fiscal year - July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012

Number of meals served in FY 2011/2012:  152,432

Breakfast – 57,130 guests

Breakfast is served Monday through Friday - St. James' Episcopal Church, 833 W. Wisconsin Avenue.  Because 60% to 70% of breakfast guestsare homeless, collaborative mental health, legal, and medical assistance is provided on site weekly.

Dinner – 13,108 guests

Dinner is served Mondays and Wednesdays at our south side site - Christian Faith Fellowship Church East, 724 S. Layton Blvd. This is our most diverse population with people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds.

Saturday Lunch – 26,580 guests

Saturday lunch is served at the above two locations and at Our Next Generation Neighborhood Center (formerly St. Andrew’s Outreach Center), 35th & Lisbon.  Between 25 and 30% of guests are children. Mt. Carmel Lutheran (82nd & Center) serves a Saturday lunch on the fourth Saturday of each month.

Shelter Meal Program – 44,755 meals

August 1, 2011 marked the beginning of our Shelter Meal Program (SMP) funded by Community Advocates. The Gathering prepares all meals on location, seven days a week, for 70-100 residents of the Women’s Refuge homeless and domestic violence shelters, and Autumn West (housing for adult mentally ill). An additional residential shelter housing 12 individuals will be added in late 2012. This program is staffed by 6 part-time employees (4 cooks & 2 drivers), a part-time manager and a nutrition consultant. Community Advocates provides the funding, kitchen and equipment; the Gathering provides the staffing, food and delivery of services. We have developed a volunteer component to the program which is in its fledgling stage. This collaboration is an excellent melding of the strengths of two long standing anti-poverty agencies.

 Our Next Generation – 10,859 meals

This tutoring/mentoring program at 35th & Lisbon - one of our Saturday lunch sites - serves a light meal four afternoons each week to program participants of middle school and high school age.  The Gathering provides food for these meals.

Fox 6's Laura Langemo was live at The Gathering

Milwaukee's local Fox 6 News sent Laura Langemo to help at our breakfast program back in April. We sure did appreciate all the help!

Watch Laura help us cook breakfast for our wonderful guests.