For 30+ Years St. Vincent de Paul Meal Programs and Hunger Task Force Have Provided Healthy, Warm Meals for Those in Need

For over 30 years, Hunger Task Force and St. Vincent de Paul Meal Programs have have partnered to combat local hunger in Milwaukee, serving warm, nutritious suppers to children and adults in Milwaukee. In 2024, the partnership served more than 60,000 meals—and in March 2025 alone, over 4,700 meals were plated, nearly 10% of which went to children.

“We’re grateful for our partnership with Hunger Task Force, which provides nearly 95% of the food we use to prepare our meals. All meals incorporate sides like canned fruits and vegetables provided by Hunger Task Force, while others contain proteins too,” said Peggy West, Meal Program Manager for St. Vincent de Paul. “During the Hunger Task Force Farm’s growing season, we incorporate fresh vegetables and fruits from the Farm into our meals too which our guests really appreciate.”

To St. Vincent de Paul Meal Programs, Hunger Task Force is a vital partner that provides more than just food but also nourishment that meets a variety of cultural preferences. Serving large Hispanic and African American populations at each meal program location, Hunger Task Force offers the option for Peggy and her team to order fruits, vegetables and proteins that are a staple within each diet.

“When we get culturally responsive items like kidney beans, everyone is super excited because we can prepare a lot of traditional Hispanic dishes at our Cross Roads Kitchen with them,” adds Peggy. “It’s really valuable being able to order food we know our guests really want to eat and to be able to use the foods to prepare culturally diverse dishes, so they feel at home.”

St. Vincent de Paul Meal Programs continues to see a rise in service numbers, especially amongst families. Many people who visit note that, with inflation, they cannot stretch their food dollars to cover daily means for them and their families, so they rely on the meal program to help supplement throughout the week.

New this year, St. Vincent de Paul Crossroads Meal program started supporting the City of Milwaukee’s warning rooms. Every Monday and Wednesday, staff and volunteers prepare an additional 100 healthy meals that are distributed to people in need when they visit a warming room.

As a Milwaukee resident, Peggy says that it’s her role to take care of people who need a little help caring for themselves by lending a hand with a home-cooked meal when they need it.

Hunger Task Force is the only food bank in Milwaukee that does not charge for food, delivery or network membership and works diligently to ensure seniors and families can receive emergency food with dignity, on the day they need it and in the neighborhood they live in.

Hunger Task Force is Milwaukee’s Free & Local food bank and Wisconsin’s anti-hunger leader. The organization’s core values are Dignity, Justice, Equity, Compassion and Stewardship. Hunger Task Force feeds people today by providing healthy and culturally appropriate food to hungry children, families and seniors in the community absolutely free of charge. Hunger Task Force also works to end future hunger by advocating for strong public policies and nutrition programs at the local, state and federal level.