The Volunteer Center’s newest hunger-relief agency started back in 1982, when members of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee opened a food bank with a bushel of apples donated by a local farmer to help those facing hunger. Two years later, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin opened in a small warehouse in Milwaukee under its original name, […]
Feeding the needy has become the passion of one Kaukauna man who volunteers weekly at three nonprofit agencies focusing on hunger relief. Every Friday, Ray Driessen sorts canned and dry goods in the staples area at St. Joseph Food Program in Menasha. He also helps distribute food to clients. “The biggest thing is giving back […]
When JoAnn Weber was employed in the manufacturing sector, she didn’t have time to volunteer. But after she retired in 2012, she started giving back to the community by volunteering at various nonprofit agencies. As a member of the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), which is sponsored by the Volunteer Center in Appleton, she […]
A Lutheran pastor started Bethesda Lutheran Communities more than 100 years ago after a father reached out to his church to get support for his two children with special needs after his wife died. Lutheran congregations and people with children in group homes began opening Bethesda Thrift Shops all across the nation. Today, the agency […]
When Alice Ruhland retired from the Piggly Wiggly in Kaukauna five years ago, she started looking for something to do. Today, she tutors kindergartners in reading at Chilton Elementary School on Thursdays. “I really like it,” she said. “It’s a good reason for me to get going. I love the kids – they are like […]
Difference-maker. Game-changer. These are familiar nouns used in advertisements to convince consumers to purchase everything from legal services to exercise equipment. But for folks who want to make a real impact on someone’s life, it can be as simple as sharing a few hours of their time. The Outagamie County Mentoring Program matches adult volunteers […]
David Hinds knows that even the simplest things in life can mean a lot to a 10 year-old boy from a single-parent home. He said CJ, his young mentee, loves to have dinner with Hinds and his wife and take their salt and pepper schnauzer, Holly, for a walk. “Sometimes it’s the dog walking him!” Hinds […]
At 81, RSVP member Cal Gardner is still driving – every day. He drives a shuttle at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center and the Housing Authority and recently began driving the Fox Valley Warming Shelter van, transporting the agency’s clients to downtown Appleton and other important destinations. And since the first of the year, he has […]
Dick Marbes refers to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Transportation Program as “pretty impressive.” Marbes, who is the volunteer manager for the program’s northern division, oversees the Appleton and Green Bay facilities. The DAV is a veteran service organization that offers free transportation to veterans getting care at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and clinics […]
As our nation recognizes October as Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, an agency in Appleton is rising to meet the challenge – literally. Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs broke ground in September on a $4 million building expansion at 720 W. Fifth St. The added space will offer counseling rooms, private family rooms, quiet waiting rooms […]
