Community Corner

Hunger in Racine County Mirrors National Poll; Help at Area Churches

Part one of a two-part series; we will examine numbers specific to Mount Pleasant, Sturtevant and Caledonia next week.

A recent Gallup poll released today, Aug. 11, shows that nearly one in four American families in 2010 struggled to buy food.

Here in Racine County, generally speaking, the need has been steadily rising as opposed to a sudden and prolonged spike, according to Dan Taivalkoski, executive director of the Racine County Food Bank. He added that, luckily, donations of food and money have also risen, but not enough to create a little wiggle room.

"We are very fortunate that as our needs rises, so do our donations," he said. "When we put out the word that we need, Racine County responds. Having said that, we are handing out as much as is needed so there's no cushion in case donations do fall off a bit."

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According to a study by the United Way, almost half the children in Racine County in 2009 (the last year data is available) were eligible for free or reduced lunch. Further, The New York Times ran a story in 2009 that highlighted the dramatic increase in food stamp usage in Racine County; up over 60 percent since 2007.

Called "food insecurity," the Wisconsin Food Security Coalition sites a statistic that in Wisconsin, that number is one in five, but in Racine County, numbers more mirror that of the national picture.

Find out what's happening in Mount Pleasant-Sturtevantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Gallup study was done as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being index and provided to the Food Research and Action Council (FRAC). One million households since 2008 were interviewed and asked a simple question, "“Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?”

Here in Racine County, too, Taivalkoski pointed out, faith-based organizations serve free meals every day of the week. The issue for many in need, however, is transportation.

"It's one thing if you live in Uptown and can walk over to the Salvation Army," he said. "But if you live on the north side and the meal is downtown, it's very difficult to get there."

Pantries Affiliated with Racine County Food Bank

Caldwell Food Pantry
Caldwell United Methodist Church
8504 Caldwell Road
Mukwonago, WI 53149
262-534-3506
2nd & 4th Sat. 8:00 - 10:00am Northside Food Pantry
Trinity United Methodist Church
3825 Erie St.
Racine, WI 53402
262-639-2441
Tues. & Thurs. 2:00 - 4:00pm Community Action Pantry
2113 N. Wisconsin St.
Racine, WI 53402
262-637-8377
Mon. - Fri. 8:30 - 11:30am
Mon. - Fri. 1:30 - 3:30pm Our Savior's Lutheran Church
2219 Washington Ave.
Racine, WI 53405
262-633-2243
Wed. 9:30 - 11:30am
Tues. & Thurs. 1:00 - 3:00pm Emmanuel Lutheran Church
725 High St.
Racine, WI 53402
262-633-4949
Tues., Wed., Thurs. 9:30 - 11:15am Racine Catholic Food Pantry
926 LaSalle St.
Racine, WI 53404
262-635-0104
Mon. - Fri. 10:00am - 2:00pm Greater Grace Temple
525 N. memorial Dr.
Racine, Wi 53404
262-532-6246
Wed. & Fri. 5:00 - 7:00pm Second Mission Baptist Church
1250 Lathrop Ave.
Racine, WI 53405
262-633-6180
Mon. & Tues. 6:00 - 8:00pm

Harvest Outreach, Inc.
2000DeKoven Ave.
Racine, Wi 53403
262-632-62886
Mon. - Fri. 9:30 - 11:30am
Tues. 1:30 - 3:30pm

St. Louis Church Pantry
13207 Hwy. G
Caledonia, WI 53108
262-835-4533
Mon. 1:00 - 4:00pm
Wed. 9:00am - 12:00 noon Holy Communion Lutheran Church
2000 W. Sixth St.
Racine, Wi 53405
262-632-8802
Mon. & Fri. 1:00 - 3:00pm St. Paul's Mercy House
1134 Grand Ave.
Racine, WI 53403
262-637-5892
Tues & Thurs. 10;00am - 12:30pm
Closed 1st through 4th of every month Hub of Senior Service, Inc.
1200 Mound Ave.
Racine, Wi 53404
262-634-0357
Call for an appointment Union Grove Area Food Bank
St. Robert Church
3320 S. Colony Drive
Union Grove, WI 53182
262-878-3476
Tues., Wed. & Thurs. 8:30am - 12:00 noon

Love, Inc.
480 S. Pine St.
Burlington,WI
262-763-6226
Mon., Tues., Thurs. & Fri.
10:00am - 2:00pm
Wed. 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Wayman AME Church
424 N. Memorial Dr.
Racine, WI 53404
262-632-1650
Tues. & Thurs. 11:00am - 1:00pm Midtown Church of Christ
1705 13th St.
Racine, WI 53403
262-637-9133
Wed. & Fri. 1:00 - 3:00pm

Meal Sites

Monday through Friday
5:00 - 6:30pm
Love, Inc.
480 S. Pine St.
Burlington, WI 53105
262-763-6226  Thursday Night
  5:00 - 6:15pm
  St. Patrick's Church
  1100 Erie St.
  Racine,WI 53403
  262-632-8808 Monday Night
5:00 - 6:00pm
Salvation Army
1901 Washington Ave.
Racine, WI 3403
262-632-3147  Friday Night
  5:00 - 6:00pm
  Greater Grace Temple
  522 N. Memorial Dr.
  Racine, WI 53404
  262-634-6246 Tuesday Night
5:00 - 6:00pm
St. Rose Church
715 11th St.
Racine, WI 53403
 Saturday (Lunch)
  Free Sack Lunch
  1st. United Methodist Church
  745 Main St.
  Racine, WI 53403
  262-633-7632 Wednesday Night
5:00 - 6:00pm
Zoe Outreach Ministries
2130 Racine St.
Racine, WI 53403  Sunday Night
  6:00 - 6:00pm
  Our Savior's Lutheran Church
  2219 Washington Ave.
  Racine, WI 53405
  262-633-2243


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