Hunger Task Force nears opening of $2.6M center on Milwaukee’s south side
Hunger Task Force Inc. soon will open an outreach center on Milwaukee’s south side and is still fundraising for the $2.6 million project.
The nonprofit’s Southside Community Resource Center at 802 W. Historic Mitchell St. is on track to open in March, said Hunger Task Force Chief Strategy Officer Jonathan Hansen. The organization purchased the 7,000-square-foot building in July 2024 for $350,000 and is renovating the space.
Kelly Construction & Design is the contractor for the $1.3 million renovation. Click through the slideshow above to see photos of the progress.
The facility will serve as a permanent south side location for the organization’s FoodShare outreach program, which helps families sign up for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in Wisconsin as FoodShare. Hunger Task Force currently operates the program out of a roughly 3,000-square-foot leased space two blocks away at 723 W. Historic Mitchell St.
In more than doubling the footprint of its south side location, Hunger Task Force expects to increase the quality of its services and reach more families. It currently serves just under 1,000 families monthly and hopes to grow that number, Hunger Task Force Communications and Public Relations Manager Kate Kazan said in an email.
The space also includes a large conference room that will be available for community groups to meet, Hansen said.
“It’s not just a Hunger Task Force space,” Hansen said. “It’s a place where we can connect with the community on many different levels.”
The facility will be staffed with seven or eight advocates who speak different languages to assist families with accessing the FoodShare program and other community resources, Hansen said. It also will include self-service stations with computers, scanners and phones available for people to manage their FoodShare applications and renewals, he said.
Hunger Task Force has raised $1.7 million toward its $2.6 million fundraising goal, which includes money to support the FoodShare outreach program, Hansen said. Construction is moving forward, with Hunger Task Force covering the gap until fundraising is complete, he said.
“We are fundraising so that we can make ourselves whole and dedicate our resources to feeding people and our annual operations,” Hansen said.
In addition to the new south side property, Hunger Task Force owns its food bank and headquarters in West Milwaukee, Hansen said. It also leases a space at 4144 N. 56th St., where it administers the FoodShare outreach program to residents on Milwaukee’s north side.
