Interchange Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway Fund

Please support the Interchange Food Pantry (IFP) efforts to

provide 1,400 Milwaukee families facing hunger with

fresh fruits and vegetables to enjoy with their Thanksgiving Dinner!

During this year’s Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway, families will receive a nutritionally balanced Thanksgiving meal that includes a choice of turkey or ham and all the traditional Thanksgiving trimmings: cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean casserole, yams, chicken broth, cornbread mix, gravy, pumpkin pie, and whipped cream!

Plus, 20 pounds of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables: sweet potatoes, potatoes, celery, onions, apples, and oranges

Please donate to IFP so we can purchase high-quality, nutrient-rich, culturally specific fresh fruits and vegetables for IFP’s Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway!

When & Where:

● Nov 16: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.—Redeemer Lutheran Church, 619 N. 19th Street

● Nov 18: 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.—Interchange Food Pantry, 130 E. Juneau Ave.

● Nov 19: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.—St. Mark AME Church, 1530 W. Atkinson Ave.

About the Interchange Food Pantry (IFP)

IFP is a city-wide food pantry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with three locations. Our primary site is in downtown Milwaukee, centrally located on the cusp of Milwaukee’s food deserts. IFP’s two satellite pantries opened in 2020 at the start of the pandemic and are situated in the poorest zip codes in Milwaukee (53206 and 53233).

Guests Served

82% of our guests are Black, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and live within the food deserts on the north side or downtown Milwaukee. 10% of our guests live outside the food deserts in the City of Milwaukee. The other 8% live outside city limits in Milwaukee County. Nearly 30% of our adult guests have diabetes, and over 31% have hypertension. 47% of our guests are children.

Interchange Food Pantry Guests Served 2019 - 2023 (October)

2019 (pre-pandemic): 13,871 guests (5,956 were children)

2020 (pandemic lockdown begins March 12, 2020): 34,728 guests (16,347 were children)

2021 (pandemic continues): 33,9997 guests served (16,309 were children)

2022 (effect of the pandemic continues) 55,759 guests served (26,213 were children)

2023 (through October): 64,047 (29,782 were children)

Please donate to IFP to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for IFP’s Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway!

IFP’s Mission

The Interchange Food Pantry's (IFP) mission is to improve the health and well-being of our guests through nutritious food and compassion.

IFP’s Healthy Food Program includes:

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program—IFP’s cornerstone program, through which we purchase the same quality of fruits and vegetables found in your local grocery store or restaurant from local wholesale produce companies when donated food is of poor quality or unavailable.

In 2023, IFP will spend over $165,000 on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Protein Basics Plan—IFP supports adequate protein intake by purchasing common high-protein foods like peanut butter, legumes, and poultry.

Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway—IFP believes sharing a Thanksgiving meal builds rapport throughout the community, improving mental health and helping to ease the stress of poverty and food insecurity during the holidays.

Please donate to allow our guests to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving Day Dinner!

2023 IFP Goals

Every guest household receives at least six servings of fresh fruits and vegetables twice per month.

At each visit, all guests receive 3 to 5 well-balanced meals, including fresh fruits and vegetables, high-protein foods, whole grains, and dairy.

Every guest receives a minimum of 2 high-protein foods—containing at least 15 grams of protein per serving—at every visit.

Provide 1,400 families with a Thanksgiving dinner that includes a choice of turkey or ham, Thanksgiving trimmings, and 20 pounds of fresh produce.

Walmart is an IFP benefactor, providing $23,000 toward our Thanksgiving Dinner Giveaway and volunteering at our event on Sunday, November 19th.

Sponsors supporting us with $10,000 donations include:

The OTTO BREMER TRUST FUND

THE WILLIAM N. & JANICE v. GODFREY FAMILY FOUNDATION TRUST

IFP believes our guests deserve the dignity of an annual Thanksgiving meal. Please donate to allow our guests to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving Day Dinner!

If you prefer to write a check to the Interchange Food Pantry, please write Thanksgiving on the memo line and mail it to:  Interchange Food Pantry, 1105 N. Waverly Place, Milwaukee, WI 53202.

May you, your family, and friends have a Happy Thanksgiving!