Pressing Community Needs & Challenges

It is an extraordinary time as our world faces pressing community needs and challenges. What a great opportunity to reflect the love of our Savior and the confidence we have in Him! This web page will serve as a place to share local needs and stories. We look forward to sharing ways in which we can knit together the community through Christ’s love.

Prayer Ministry

Supporting Existing Organizations’ Efforts to Tackle Race & Injustice

• UpStart Kitchen is a food business incubator that caters to entrepreneurs, offering resources, training, mentoring, and community—to help launch dreams, elevate their economic status and create generational wealth in Milwaukee.
• Milwaukee JobsWork prepares and encourages motivated individuals living in poverty to achieve economic self-sufficiency through sustainable employment.
• Partners in Hope is a prisoner reentry program that helps the previously incarcerated living maintain sustainable employment, increase their skills, live free of addictions in stable housing and contribute back to their community.

Supporting Programs that Address Emergency Needs Caused by COVID-19

We are identifying programs, nonprofits and resources that are serving the community in direct response to COVID-19. Consider supporting them as you feel led.

• IMPACT is a not-for-profit that connects those in need with thousands of nonprofit and government services; simply dial 2-1-1 or 877-947-2211, 24/7/365. Additionally, visit their COVID-19 Information and Resources webpage (includes medical concerns, assistance for employment & unemployment, school district meals and business info).

• Employ Milwaukee (Milwaukee County’s Workforce Development Board) has a faith-based initiative that connects individuals within a congregation whose employment has been affected (i.e. layoffs, termination, or facilities closing) with resources. Ministries should designate a contact person to gather pertinent info and email Millie Coby. Also email Millie for job fairs and other hiring efforts.
  • Employ Milwaukee will also deploy 100+ Community Resource Navigators into the community to support humanitarian efforts. Businesses can apply to be host sites and individuals can apply to be employed on a CRN team.

Healthcare

Supporting Ministries that Serve Vulnerable Populations

Ministries’ already thin resources may be stretched beyond capacity during this time. The ability for the local church and ministries to support the community is more important than ever. Consider supporting them as you feel led:

Housing

Hope Street Ministry houses approx. 40 men, women and children in a nurturing, drug/alcohol free environment. Their needs include: Paper Towels, Soup (canned), Lysol Spray/Clorox Wipes/All Purpose Cleaner (non-bleach), Crayons/Markers, Board Games, Learning Activities/Booklets

Milwaukee Rescue Mission serves up to 400 homeless men, women and children each night. They’re grappling with the new reality of serving neighbors in need while keeping guests, staff, and the community safe and healthy.

Repairers of the Breach is Milwaukee’s only daytime Resource Center for the homeless.

Families & Food

City on a Hill breaks the cycle of generational poverty and brings transformation to Milwaukee central city neighborhoods. Their needs include: Dry & canned goods for meals (pasta, sauce, fruit, veggies), high protein food (peanut butter, canned tuna, canned chicken), bread, paper products, soap, laundry detergent, can openers, frozen meals, healthy snacks (granola bars).

Christian Hope Ministry Inc. serves the most vulnerable, including seniors and disabled. Known for being hands on, boots on the ground, they seek financial support and gas cards to directly serve those affected by COVID-19 in the areas of healthcare, transportation, food and access to pantries. Email Pastor Andre Atwater.

There is a substantial increase in the number of folks who need food.

• Local food pantries supply free food for people in need (and are often without food reserves)
• UpStart Kitchen is a “kitchen with a mission”, stepping in the gap to provide fresh, healthy meals to the community in partnership with other local nonprofits. As UpStart kitchen isn’t set up for distribution, they can provide these meals to the community through local partners (churches or other non-profits) who have distribution networks or processes in place:

Pregnancy Centers

WELS Lutherans for Life serves the community with pregnancy tests, ultrasounds & consultations, diapers, wipes, and parenting supplies.

CareNet serves the community with pregnancy tests, ultrasounds & consultations, diapers, wipes, and parenting supplies. Their needs include $5 and $10 Pick ‘n Save and Aldi gift cards.

There are many, many more needs. Please visit our Facebook page or send us an email with things you know about or hear about.

For God’s Glory!
Your NCF Wisconsin team: Linda Maris, DonnaLee Hayes and Angela Smith