Hunger Task Force and TODAY’S TMJ4 partnered together for the first ever "Drop Off or Dial 4 Hunger" event.
For 12 hours Wednesday, people stopped by the TODAY’S TMJ4 studios to drop off food, or called-in to make monetary donations.
"This is great to see," said Jordan Wenner. "It's the holidays. We know people are in worse shape than us. We do what we can to contribute and help everyone out."
The event was made possible with the help of dozens of volunteers. Companies like Ozinga Concrete, Metcalfe's Market, Milwaukee Brat House, and United Milwaukee Scrap, were especially generous.
"We need to make sure we are taking care of families in our community," said Art Arnstein of United Milwaukee Scrap. "From children to grandparents. No one should go hungry."
Organizations like Milwaukee Ballet also took time to help, as did Santa Claus and Rudolph!
"We wanted to come help end hunger," Santa said.
To put the problem of hunger in perspective, one in four Milwaukee kids live in poverty. There are also many elderly residents who are low income, alone, and unable to leave their homes for Christmas. More than 50,000 people in Milwaukee rely on food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters to survive.
"Lots and lots of people in our area will not have a holiday meal," said Sherrie Tussler, the Director of Hunger Task Force. "They'll be lucky to have food on the table."
Hunger Task Force is specifically looking for donations of festive turkeys or holiday hams, whole-grain cereal and pasta, low-sodium canned vegetables, low-sugar canned fruit, peanut butter, and baby formula.
