Serve your community with turkey on Thanksgiving
If you’re truly looking for a way to get into the giving spirit this year, spend your Thanksgiving helping others. With meal programs throughout the city serving dinner to needy residents nearly 365 days a year, there are plenty of opportunities for you to share your kindness and ability.
Contact one of the programs below and spend your turkey day serving up meat and potatoes to families in need of a little holiday help.
Are there any I missed? Feel free to add other volunteer opportunities using the Talkback feature.
Rescue Mission Meal Program
830 N. 19th St., (414) 344-2211
milmission.org
The Gathering Meal Program
thegatheringwis.org
St. James Episcopal Church
833 W. Wisconsin Ave.
stjamesmilwaukee.org
Christian Faith Fellowship Church East
724 S. Layton Blvd.
cffceast.org
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Outreach Center
3421 W. Lisbon Ave.
thegatheringwis.org
Milwaukee’s Volunteer Website
volunteermilwaukee.org
St. Ben’s Meal Program
924 W. State St., (414) 271-0135
stbensmilwaukee.org
Meal served Sunday- Friday at 5:15 p.m. Volunteers should arrive 30-45 minutes before.
St. Vincent de Paul Meal Program
svdpmilw.org
931 W. Madison Ave., Sunday–Monday, dinner served from 5:15-6:30 p.m.
2628 N. Martin Luther King Dr., Monday- Friday, dinner served from 5:15-6:30 p.m.
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Talkbacks
imkaydee | Nov. 28, 2009 at 11:24 a.m. (report)
"The Repairers of The Breech" were very happy to receive our turkey lunch on Thanksgiving Day. They said that there was not much help available this year.
Looking ahead - we will help distibute sleeping bags to the homeless on Christmas eve. Sure there are shelters for the homeless, but many people are turned away, every night, because they are filled to capacity.
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ActsOfElegance | Nov. 26, 2009 at 12:22 a.m. (report)
I doubt anyone will read this in time, but it's worth a shot...
Tomorrow, on Thanksgiving, I will be going and looking for homeless people to give plates of hot food and make conversation. People in shelters get fed, but so many others get turned away. I have so much food to distribute and as of right now, I will be completely alone. I need help. Please. Anyone that can spare a little bit of time in the late morning and/or early afternoon would be GREATLY appreciated. Please email me at cstappas[at]gmail.com. Thank you!
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imkaydee | Nov. 24, 2009 at 9:01 p.m. (report)
There is a great need in Milwaukee to serve the growing homeless population. A current estimate of homeless teens in Milwaukee is shocking; more than 400 each night, with only 2 shelters and 18 beds to serve them. Also, many meal programs are actually "closed" on Thanksgiving.
The more people are allowed to get involved, the more help. It doesn't matter what day someone begins helping others, just that they begin (and hopefully they will continue to help and spend some time contemplating new ways to help).
It also doesn't matter how much we contribute to help feed the hungry in other countries, if we neglect the hungry in our own backyard.
The homeless are only invisible, when we close our eyes to the problem. Let's open our eyes and join together to find ways to make a difference in our community.
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missmeggg | Nov. 26, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. (report)
Here's an idea: There are so many people that are willing to volunteer on Thanksgiving, but the volunteers are truly needed in, maybe, the middle of January or July when the holidays are over and that "giving" spirit has faded. There are hundreds of agencies with meal programs (or any other kind of program) in Milwaukee that need volunteers on every other day of the year. When the holiday spirit has faded, think about volunteering and bringing that spirit back to someone in Milwaukee. The Volunteer Center of Milwaukee's website, www.volunteermilwaukee.org, lists opportunities to volunteer year-round in any capacity that you would like to help.
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