Over the years, Friedens has met challenges from principle Milwaukee Area social service agencies to adapt to the changing needs of the less fortunate and to fill gaps in the social service network. Services we currently provide include:
Friedens operating hours are Monday through Friday, 8.30 a.m. till 4 p.m. at the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center, 220 West Vliet Street in Milwaukee. Customers are welcome to come anytime. We cannot guarantee to always have the same food available which you may have received previously.
We serve the needy in Milwaukee County by providing portions from all parts of the “food pyramid” – meats, bread / pastries, green vegetables and fruit. It is our belief that by providing a balanced, healthy selection of food, our customers will benefit not only in terms of reduced food expenses, but also in terms of dietary habits.
We strongly believe in the importance of the family dinner, which is why we do not prepare any food on site, but instead give it out in grocery bags. Most of the food we give away is frozen, canned or packaged, due to economical considerations and our need to preserve food for up to 4 weeks.
We receive approximately 50% of our food donations through Hunger Task Force, 15% from Second Harvest, and another 35% from private donations. All our operating expenses are derived from corporate and private contributions. When serving our customers, we also try to establish a relationship with them and offer informal counseling on healthy diet and in general matters.
Those customers which we identify as possibly qualifying for federal assistance are referred to the Food Stamp program. We prefer the customer receives federal assistance if they qualify. This reduces the burden on our operating budget, and increases the sense of independence in our clients.
If you have suggestions for further additional services you would like Friedens to provide (i.e. health screening, applying for / interviewing for a new job), The Board of Directors would welcome your contribution to the Development and Implementation Committee. Please contact John or Margaret to let us know of your interest and availability.
In 2003, we chose to change our name from "Friedens Inner City Ministries" to "Friedens Community Ministries". This was mainly to reflect the following aspects of our greater mission:
With the name change, we also got a new logo, which you can see at the top of this website (the purple and yellow logo). This was donated by graphic artist Barbara Kirschner.
Friedens provides most of its food to the needy from our pantry at N. 12th and Vliet. With the use of a truck and our van, we have been delivering food to a satellite pantry at Fletcher Elementary School in northwest Milwaukee since 2004 (see item 3 above). We also make individual deliveries to home-bound people. In the last 2 years, Friedens has also begun delivering food to low income elderly and needy residents living in 13 of the City of Milwaukee's largest public housing towers. Due to all this activity, the number of clients we serve annually has increased from 12,000 in 1998 to over 100,000 by year end 2005.