Change your oil, Change a life
For some people getting an oil change is just another chore that needs to be completed. Others find it’s a handy time to relax and maybe catch their breath. With the Palmen Auto Group joining its partners in the Automobile Dealers Association of Mega Milwaukee (ADAMM), getting an oil change in Kenosha, WI at any Palmen service center will have a direct effect on a person or family that needs a little help obtaining food this holiday season. Through Feb. 28, each Palmen location will donate $1 for every oil change performed to Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin. Additionally, ADAMM will match 10 percent of the total to the charity as well.
The oil change charity drive for Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin has a goal of besting last year’s total of more than $67,000 by breaking the $80,000 mark this year. The money raised through the previous donation program was able to provide food for 338,000 people and families. In the business world, the members of ADAMM may be competitors, but when it come to serving our shared community we become partners working toward a common goal of eradicating hunger. Palmen Auto Group couldn’t be happier to work with everyone to find a sustainable solution for this needless problem.
Helping out a neighbor
Clients of the various local food pantries which receive food from Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin don’t fit in any one category. According to the 2014 annual report from Feeding America Wisconsin, this operation averages more than 370,000 clients on an annual basis. Of those clients 124,000 children received meals that their parent or guardian wouldn’t have otherwise been able to provide. Some of the more shocking statistics provided by the report include 56 Percent of households ate expired foods in order to cope with hunger and 74 percent of households have had to make a choice between paying utilities and buying food.
People that require food assistance can be found in every part of the diverse landscape of Wisconsin from the lakeshore to the heavily rural areas of the northern part of the state. Unfortunately, there has not been an immediate impact on the need for food assistance; even as the economy has started to turn around and the grip of the recession has loosened. The 2014 Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin report detailed a 51 percent increase in people utilizing the program over the previous two-year period. In fact, Feeding America Wisconsin is working on building a new distribution facility in the southern Fox Valley to be able to better serve pantries in that area.
About Feeding America
Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is completely self-funded through donations. This program has also received a stamp of approval from Charity Navigator with a four-star rating, the highest score possible from the leading charity evaluating organization. Additionally, Feeding America performs well above the national average in fund-raising efficiency at 98 percent. The program also has a charitable commitment of 97 percent as well.
Here are some of the achievements from Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin that were outlined in the annual report:
- Provided 40,000 pounds of food to 13,000 students.
- Hosted 70 mobile pantries, helping 68,000 people.
- Boy Scouts of Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha collected nearly 140,000 pounds of food.
- Food drive with Associated Bank provided 1.3 million meals to families in need.
- ADAMM and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation worked with many local donors to raise and additional $360,000.