Community Center of Hope Food Pantry (CCH) in Mosinee was officially established in 2004 with a simple mission – provide food for those living in the Mosinee School District. Since that time, the outreach has expanded to serve over nine zip codes throughout southern Marathon County.

“Even though our help area has changed, our mission has not. Helping people meet the basic need of food in their cupboards allows them to focus on other areas in their lives that need help. That may be a job, affordable housing, child care or something else entirely, but we exist to help those who need us,” said Executive Director Amy Bergstrom.

CCH is able to serve between 400-500 people every month on an annual budget under $85,000. Many of the families helped are those with young children who cannot afford the rising costs of daycare, as well as elderly clients living on a very fixed social security income.

“Our community has been the life-blood of this organization from the beginning. It’s unbelievable how people support us with their food and monetary donations. We are so fortunate to live in an area where we have such a caring community,” Bergstrom commented. “People get really creative with their donations. From fundraising sponsorship to food drives, and produce donations to venison donations, we love seeing what people come up with. We even had a Girl Scout troop donate ‘birthday bags’ complete with candles!”

When asked how the community could continue to help support the mission of the CCH Pantry, Bergstrom replied, “There are so many ways to help! We take donations of all non-perishable food, even if it is expired up to one year. We will also accept unused personal hygiene items such as feminine products, body wash, hair products and deodorant. Toilet paper, diapers and wipes are a big need as well. Community members can always check our website out for upcoming fundraising events, or current needs. When in doubt, give me a call at the pantry. I love to tell people about what we do and how they can help.”

Community Center of Hope, Inc. is a nonprofit organization providing food and personal care products to households in need in southern Marathon County. They can be reached via phone at 715-693-7145 or online at www.cchope.net.