In 1982, a 600-pound donation of apples launched Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. Forty years later, the largest local hunger relief organization in the state distributes close to 53 million pounds of food annually. Those donations reach 35 counties in eastern Wisconsin through a network of nearly 400 pantry partners and meal programs. About 30,000 volunteer hours per year fuel the effort, working out of a 45,000-square-foot campus in Appleton and an 80,000-square-foot campus in Milwaukee.

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s summer fundraising campaign targets children, a segment of the population particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. One in five children in Wisconsin face hunger, with that number rising during the pandemic. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s goal is to raise enough to provide 1 million meals to children over three months. Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon has been a champion for the cause. He is partnering with the organization to promote the campaign to fight childhood hunger.