GREENFIELD, Wis. — This past June, the Ridge Community Church — which has Greenfield and Oak Creek locations — started an initiative to donate to local food pantries. 

Its goal was to collect 2,500 pounds of food, but members surpassed that goal, reaching 4,000 pounds of collected food. 

What You Need To Know

  • Food pantries said demand is high and shelves are scarce

  • Ridge Community Church has collected 4,000 pounds of food for local food pantries

  • The push has started a ripple effect, inspiring one police office to start a food drive with the Hales Corners Police Department 

  • The Ridge Community Church is collecting donations Aug. 17, until 8 p.m. and Sunday until noon at the Greenfield campus 

  • The Hales Corners Police Department will host Stuff the Squad Aug. 19, at the Hales Corners Festival Foods from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

  • First Weber Real Estate is a drop-off location for the Greenfield Food Pantry and is always collecting donations, including school supplies, at its office in Greenfield

Mariha Stewart with the Ridge said just two weeks ago, the church received a phone call from the local pantries saying how the need for food has increased. 

“They told us that they’re out of food already,” said Stewart. “Their shelves are empty.” 

So, they’re coming together to help stock those shelves and help families in need.

“We responded to that urgent need,” said Stewart. “This week, [we] had everyone come together for a one-week effort to pack the pantries in South Milwaukee, Greenfield, City on a Hill and New Berlin.” 

Stewart said a member of the church is a Hales Corners police officer. He was so moved by the need for food that he took it upon himself to give back at work, too. 

“They’re doing something called 'Stuff the Squad,' Saturday, at the Hales Corner’s Festival Foods and they’re going to collect as much food as they can and bring it here to the Greenfield campus on Sunday,” said Stewart. 

First Weber Group in Greenfield has also collected food and school supplies to to donate to the Greenfield Food Pantry. 

Major Clifford Scott with the Salvation Army said he’s moved to see the community come together to help. He said this past month the Greenfield location added 50 new families. 

“Sometimes they say they’re passing through hard times,” said Scott. “They lost their job and so on. Hard times, hard situation.” 

Stewart said it’s their duty as a church to give back. 

“We resinate with this because we have young families here and it’s back-to-school time and to imagine, as a parent myself, to tell my kid that they can’t have seconds and they don’t have the luxury to pick between foods because they fell between hard times,” said Stewart. 

The Ridge Community Church is collecting donations Aug. 17, until 8 p.m. and Sunday until noon at the Greenfield campus. 

The Hales Corners Police Department will host Stuff the Squad Aug. 19, at the Hales Corners Festival Foods from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

First Weber Real Estate is a drop-off location for the Greenfield Food Pantry and is always collecting donations, including school supplies, at its office in Greenfield. 

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