Milwaukee Food Drives
As part of TCD’s series on charitable giving, we offer this list of local food drives that take a fun and unique approach to feeding the hungry this season:
Feed Your Soul
Friday, Nov. 5, 8 – 11 p.m.
Flux Design
811 East Vienna
TCD is proud to sponsor the 2010 Feed Your Soul benefit for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. Milwaukee artists take simple wooden bowls, as a symbol of plenty, and turn them into truly spectacular works of art. The bowls, along with other 2D work, are then auctioned off throughout the evening. Held at Flux Design’s Riverwest studio, the event features an evening of music, food and art, plus live music and a poetry reading by Ed Makowski.
Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door. All proceeds benefit Feeding America – Eastern Wisconsin.
Soup for Soup
Milwaukee Art Museum
Now until Nov. 14
Digest some great art at the Milwaukee Art Museum with a free bowl of soup to benefit the Hunger Task Force. With “Soup for Soup“, every visitor who brings in a donation will receive a voucher for a complimentary cup of soup in Cafe Calatrava. Currently on display are European Design since 1985 and an on-sight instillation by artist Chakaia Booker. The Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursdays until 8 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults and $10 for students, seniors and active military, and free for members and children 12 and under.
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2-8 p.m.
Frank’s Power Plant
2800 South Kinnickinnic Ave.
Trade in a can of non-perishable food for a tallboy beer at “Fall FrankFest” at Franks Powerplant. From 2 – 8 p.m. there will be many events to go with the free beer, including an art show, a chili cook-off with prizes, temporary tattoo art with CrowBar, tarot and palm readings, and finally, DJ Sarah Mog spinning outside by the fire pit. All food collected will be donated to the Hunger Task Force of Wisconsin.
Holiday Buy a Bag Program at Outpost
Through November and December
Outpost shoppers have the opportunity to buy $40 worth of fresh and non-perishable food for $20 and give the bad full of goods to those in need. Last year 1,336 bags were collected, equaling $53,000 worth of food donated by patrons. This year the company strives for 1,500 bags.
Food for Fines
Nov. 7-30
Various locations
A few libraries in the area that are holding a unique food drive: Both the Whitefish Bay Public Library and the Oak Creek Public Library will forgive $1 in fines for each non-perishable item donated. So if you’re someone who has a stack of overdue library books, consider going through your pantry to pay off the fines. The proceeds go to the Hunger Task Force. Oak Creek’s drive goes from Nov. 7 to Nov. 21 and Whitefish Bay’s is from Nov. 14 to Nov. 30.
Photo courtesy RKB Cupcakes via Flickr
Milwaukee Vegan Bake Sale
Nov. 13, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
1500 E. Park Place
Milwaukee Vegan Bake Sale is selling delicious baked treats for a good cause. Held at the Urban Ecology Center, proceeds will be split between the Urban Ecology Center and the Hunger Task Force. In addition to old favorites like brownies, cupcakes, and cookies, they will have locally grown and home-canned pickles, preserves, and more. Visit the event’s website for more information, to sign up to volunteer, or to donate home-baked or canned vegan goodies for the sale.
Rummage-A-Rama!
Nov. 13 to Nov. 14, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wisconsin State Fair Park
Rummage-A-Rama is hosting Milwaukee’s largest indoor rummage sale event featuring new, used, and vintage items. Antiques and collectibles from local dealers and overstock and closeouts from local business owners will also be available. Admission is $4, or $2 with a donation of two non-perishable food items. Kids 12 and under are free, but are also encouraged to bring food. Donations
Milwaukee’s Largest Bloody Mary
Sunday, Nov. 14, 10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
616 W. Virginia St.
Celebrate morning drinking and Wisconsin by chowing on brats and polishing it off with 100 pounds of Bloody Mary. The party is at the Great Lakes Distillery and if you bring two food items for the food drive you’ll get your name entered in a drawing for prizes. All the proceeds go to the Hunger Task Force.
Twanksgiving Tweet Up
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Blue’s Egg 317 N. 76th St.
Support the Hunger Task Force and enjoy friends and local businesses while Tweeting about hunger in Milwaukee to raise awareness. Blue’s Egg is hosting the event after-hours with the Wauwatosa Chamber of Commerce.
Wicked Hop Pub Crawl
Saturday, Nov. 20
345 N. Broadway St.
Wicked Hop is hosting a pub crawl and the plan is to visit seven different bars in the Third Ward. Customers are encouraged to donate food leading up to the November 20th event and the night of the pub crawl, and participants are required to donate non-perishable food items before the crawl begins. Party with a purpose!
“Everyone Loves a Parade”
Saturday, Nov. 20, 9:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Parade steps off at N. Astor Street and continues to the Grand Avenue Mall
Make a food donation a part of this annual holiday tradition, sponsored by Johnson Controls to benefit the Hunger Task Force’s “Food for Families” program. Bring canned or non-perishable food items downtown with you, enjoy the parade, and leave with the warm, fuzzy feeling that you are helping to keep Milwaukee fed during the cold winter months. Last year, the parade raised over 10,000 pounds of food.
Man vs. Mollusk II – Return of the Oyster
Wednesday, Nov. 24
Molly Cool’s Seafood Tavern
1110 N. Old World Third St.
We’ve never seen a food-eating competition quite like this; for $10, you can enter in a contest to see who can eat the most oysters, with the proceeds going to the Hunger Task Force and the winner walking away with a stomach full of oysters and a champion belt. If you’re too squeamish to down so much seafood, you can still help out by contributing non-perishable food items to the donation barrel and enjoy a moderate amount of sea food at Molly Cool’s.
Discovery World’s Holiday Food Challenge
Nov. 26 through Dec. 31
In the 1880s, the Challenge — a big ol’ schooner — brought needed goods and supplies to the people of Milwaukee. In the same spirit of feeding the hungry, Discovery World wants to load the deck of their life-size recreation of the 19th century ship with canned goods. Receive $5 off the admission price by bringing in three or more non-perishable food items and try to make the Challenge so heavy with food it could sink.
Candy Cane Lane
Nov. 26 – Dec. 27
Candy Cane Lane is a west side tradition that lights up the holiday season with over 300 homes participating. Visitors can stroll or drive through the neighborhood and are encouraged to make a non-perishable food donation. Candy Cane Lane is bound by Oklahoma Avenue on the south, Montana Avenue to the north, and 96th and 92nd Streets to the west and east, respectively.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 26
Bradley Center
Stretch out Christmas one day longer with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Dec. 26. $1 from each ticket sold goes to feed the hungry, and Hunger Task Force staff and volunteers will be at the show accepting food and cash donations when you arrive.
TCD will update this listing as more events are announced — please be sure to let us know if we missed anything by leaving a comment in the section below.
