ELCA World Hunger

Growing the Community in Milwaukee
Greg Washington cooks food for other people but cannot always afford to feed himself. He works in Milwaukee stadiums, serving up hamburgers, hot dogs and other food to patrons of professional sporting events. It’s a job but not full-time, living-wage work.

Through neighbors, Greg discovered All Peoples Church, a ministry supported by a grant from ELCA World Hunger. Upon arriving at the church’s food pantry, Greg said, “I felt welcome. The members, the atmosphere, the environment…everyone welcomed me with open arms. It’s really nice [because they] never turn anybody down.”

The food pantry was not the end of Greg’s involvement with All Peoples Church. He learned about and got involved in the church’s community garden program, which intentionally reaches out to children and youth.

Leaders of the program say, “We grow kids first, vegetables second.” The church’s Kids Working to Succeed (KWTS) program empowers countless youth by teaching them discipleship. The church implemented a leadership program in which teenagers supervise younger children as part of their involvement in the community garden. Partly because of that experience, The Rev. Steve Jerbi of All Peoples Church says, “We’ve seen our children find other jobs in Milwaukee’s growing urban agriculture movement.”

“Access to fresh, healthy vegetables is a great need in our community,” said Pastor Jerbi. “There are fast-food shops on every block and corner stores with low-quality
or no fresh food. In a neighborhood with almost 70 percent renters, folks can’t even put a garden where they live. So our community garden has become more important for the whole community.”

Pastor Jerbi and members of All Peoples Church saw potential in a double-size vacant lot across the street from their church. They worked with the City of Milwaukee to obtain a long lease so they could grow their expanding garden there. The tomatoes and green beans produced by the garden go directly to the church’s food pantry. Herbs are gathered and shared with the community. Collard greens are taken right to the church kitchen and served with the community lunch.

Carolyn Jewett serves as the congregation’s Neighborhood Minister of Food. She was once a guest at the food pantry, and now she oversees the entire program and the 13,400 meals served each year.

“To see the people know how to use the veggies and have access to the fresh food is good for our neighborhood,” says Carolyn. “And seeing a kid walking around with fruit is a joy. Buying fresh food everyday is something hard to do. But knowing they can get it here, or grow it here, gives them more options.”

Thank you for supporting ministries like this that help people with low incomes gain access to fresh produce and participate in local food systems that transform their communities.

For more information: www.elca.org/hunger