Milwaukee launches citywide food drive amid federal shutdown

CONTINGENCY RESERVE TO FUND THOSE BENEFITS. AND LEADERS ACROSS MULTIPLE CITY AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS PUT TOGETHER A SORT OF AN UNPRECEDENTED FOOD DRIVE HERE IN MILWAUKEE. YEAH, THERE’S A QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN RIGHT NOW POINTING YOU TO A LIST OF FOOD ASSISTANCE OPTIONS RIGHT HERE IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. LET’S BRING IN 12 NEWS NICK BOHR LIVE OUTSIDE FISERV FORUM TONIGHT. NICK, THE BUCKS IS ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS TRYING TO FILL THAT VOID FOR THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES, RIGHT, DEREK? 230,000 PEOPLE IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY RECEIVED A SNAP FOOD SHARE BENEFITS ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH. EVERY MONTH. THAT’S ABOUT $160 PER PERSON. THEY RECEIVED THOSE BENEFITS MONEY THAT WILL SOON BE CUT OFF WITH THE FEDERAL SHUTDOWN. THERE IS A CALL TONIGHT FOR FOOD DONATIONS. THESE BINS BEING PLACED HERE AT FISERV AND ALL OVER THE AREA. THE CALL TONIGHT FOR BROADER COMMUNITY TO STEP UP TO HELP OUT THROUGHOUT THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PARTS OF THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE. THERE ARE SIGNS EVERYWHERE OF HOW VITAL A ROLE THE FOOD SHARE. EBT CARDS, FORMERLY KNOWN AS FOOD STAMPS, ARE TO RESIDENTS HERE. THERE’S A LOT OF WOMEN OUT HERE, A LOT OF KIDS AND, YOU KNOW, FOOD STAMPS. IT’S A LOT. AND SOME CAN’T GO WITHOUT THEM. THEY HAVE A LOT OF KIDS, SO IT’S A BIG EFFECT. KATHY WILDER AND ALL FOODSHARE RECIPIENTS WERE RECENTLY NOTIFIED THAT BARRING AN END TO THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, THEIR FOOD BENEFITS WILL BE CUT OFF SATURDAY. IT’S WHY LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE COMMUNITY ARE LAUNCHING A FIRST EVER EMERGENCY CITYWIDE FOOD DRIVE THROUGH FEEDING AMERICA, PLACING BINS FOR NONPERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS ACROSS THE CITY. WHILE THINGS ARE NOT GOING THE WAY THAT THEY SHOULD IN WASHINGTON, MILWAUKEE REFUSES TO WAIT. WE’RE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN. THAT’S WHY ALL THESE FOLKS ARE ASSEMBLED WITH ME TODAY. SO I’M ASKING EVERYONE, EVERYONE WHO CAN. LET’S STEP FORWARD AND PREVENT CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY FROM GOING HUNGRY. THE MAYOR AND OTHERS ARE ASKING PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO STEP UP TO HELP THEIR NEIGHBORS COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT NO CHILD, NO OLDER ADULT, NO HOUSEHOLD GOES WITHOUT FOOD. WILDER HELPS HER DAUGHTER FEED HER GRANDCHILDREN AND SAYS SOMETHING WILL HAVE TO FILL THE VOID. HOW LONG DO YOU THINK SHE CAN LAST? OR YOU CAN KIND OF LAST WITHOUT THIS REALLY IMPACTING YOU OR HER FAMILY. NOT LONG. I FEEL LIKE IT’S GOING TO AFFECT A LOT OF PEOPLE. SO MANY PEOPLE SHARING THAT SENTIMENT. NICK. ONCE THE BINS ARE FILLED THERE, HOW THE DONATIONS GET TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM. FEEDING AMERICA WILL COLLECT ALL THE FOOD THAT IS COLLECTED, AND THEN THEY’LL REDISTRIBUTE IT TO FOOD PANTRIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. NICK BOHR LIVE OUTSIDE FISERV FORUM TONIGHT. AND HERE’S A LOOK AT WHERE YOU CAN DONATE. MILWAUKEE CITY HALL, THE COUNTY COURTHOUSES, THE MARCIA COX HEALTH CENTER, FISERV FORUM. EVERY MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOL, ALL MILWAUKEE POLICE DISTRICT

Milwaukee community leaders have initiated an emergency citywide food drive to support families affected by the federal shutdown, which threatens to cut off SNAP benefits for thousands.

Updated: 6:59 PM CDT Oct 28, 2025

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Community leaders in Milwaukee are organizing an unprecedented citywide food drive to support families affected by the federal shutdown, which threatens to cut off SNAP benefits for thousands of residents starting Saturday.In Milwaukee County, approximately 230,000 people typically receive SNAP Foodshare benefits totaling about $160 per person on the first of the month. These benefits are at risk due to the federal shutdown, prompting a call for the broader community to step up and help.Throughout economically disadvantaged areas of Milwaukee, the importance of Foodshare EBT cards, formerly known as food stamps, is evident. Kathy Wilder, a Foodshare recipient, expressed concern about the impact of losing these benefits, saying, “There’s a lot of women, a lot of kids, on food stamps, it’s a lot. And some can’t go without them. And they have a lot of kids, so it’s a big impact.”Community leaders are launching the emergency food drive through Feeding America, placing bins for non-perishable food items across the city. “While things are not going the way they should in Washington, Milwaukee refuses to wait. We’re going to take care of our own. That’s why all of these folks are assembled with me today. So I’m asking everyone, everyone who can, to step forward and prevent children in our community from going hungry,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.The Director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services Shakita LaGrant-McClain is urging those who can to help their neighbors to donate food, emphasizing the importance of “coming together to make sure that no child, no older adult, no household goes without food.”Wilder, who helps her daughter feed her grandchildren, noted the urgency of the situation when asked how long they can go without feeling the impact of the suspended funding.”Not long. I feel this is going to affect a lot of people. A lot of people,” she said when asked about the impact of losing food benefits.Feeding America will collect the bins and coordinate the distribution of donated food to food pantries across the community. Donation sites include Milwaukee City Hall, the County Courthouse, Marcia Coggs Health Center, Fiserv Forum, all MPS schools, police districts, public libraries and Mason Temple Church.Top HeadlinesDriver dies after truck crashes into Milwaukee buildingManhunt underway for Milwaukee suspect in teen’s fatal shootingGrafton man accused of trying to kill wife chargedWATCH Former WISN 12 News anchor Jerry Taff dies

MILWAUKEE —

In Milwaukee County, approximately 230,000 people typically receive SNAP Foodshare benefits totaling about $160 per person on the first of the month. These benefits are at risk due to the federal shutdown, prompting a call for the broader community to step up and help.

Throughout economically disadvantaged areas of Milwaukee, the importance of Foodshare EBT cards, formerly known as food stamps, is evident.

Kathy Wilder, a Foodshare recipient, expressed concern about the impact of losing these benefits, saying, “There’s a lot of women, a lot of kids, on food stamps, it’s a lot. And some can’t go without them. And they have a lot of kids, so it’s a big impact.”

Community leaders are launching the emergency food drive through Feeding America, placing bins for non-perishable food items across the city.

“While things are not going the way they should in Washington, Milwaukee refuses to wait. We’re going to take care of our own. That’s why all of these folks are assembled with me today. So I’m asking everyone, everyone who can, to step forward and prevent children in our community from going hungry,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.

The Director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services Shakita LaGrant-McClain is urging those who can to help their neighbors to donate food, emphasizing the importance of “coming together to make sure that no child, no older adult, no household goes without food.”

Wilder, who helps her daughter feed her grandchildren, noted the urgency of the situation when asked how long they can go without feeling the impact of the suspended funding.

“Not long. I feel this is going to affect a lot of people. A lot of people,” she said when asked about the impact of losing food benefits.

Feeding America will collect the bins and coordinate the distribution of donated food to food pantries across the community. Donation sites include Milwaukee City Hall, the County Courthouse, Marcia Coggs Health Center, Fiserv Forum, all MPS schools, police districts, public libraries and Mason Temple Church.

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