Mission Accomplished!

In less than two months the friends of Hunger Task Force have come together and met the need to make sure peanut butter will remain on the network menu at their food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. As of today, 101,267 jars have been donated, exceeding the goal of 100,000!

The call went out to the public on January 3 with notification that Hunger Task Force was facing a peanut butter shortage. In order to maintain consistent service levels, the push was on to raise three truckloads of peanut butter, or a minimum of 100,000 jars. Donations big and small poured in. ConAgra Foods donated 58,000 jars after an employee saw a local newscast. Sixty Milwaukee area fire stations volunteered to host peanut butter drives and to serve as public drop off points for donations. One hundred Walgreens stores are hosting peanut butter drives, accepting donations as well as offering savings on peanut butter that can be purchased and donated on site.

Daily donations continued to come in, one jar at a time. Lower income seniors at a local Stockbox site heard about the peanut butter request and held their own food drive, choosing to give back the peanut butter they received in their monthly Stockbox deliveries. A 9-year old asked that guests to his roller skating birthday party bring peanut butter instead of presents so he could share with kids who didn’t have any. And Marquette High School worked to “Can the Man” and filled their principal’s office with over 3,700 jars!

For those in need, peanut butter is very nearly a perfect food. It appeals to all ages, requires no heating for those without a stove, no can opener for those without the utensil and is perfect to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Kids, seniors and parents all over metro Milwaukee are feeling peanut butter love! Hunger Task Force thanks our donors who thoughtfully collected this most delicious and nutritious food. Together they have created a collective reassurance that our safety net is indeed intact. Thank you fire fighters, Walgreens, ConAgra. Thank you schools, workplaces and congregations. Mission accomplished! Hunger Task Force has 100,000 jars of peanut butter!” said Sherrie Tussler, Hunger Task Force Executive Director.