LITTLE CHUTE — As Christmas approaches, volunteers at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry typically see demand grow, so they try a little harder to help make the holidays bright for everyone.
“We even try to pass out a toy or two to the families with children to help lighten the load a little more this time of year,” said coordinator Anne Schuh of the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry.
Loaves and Fishes, along with the Kaukauna Public Library pop-up food pantry, are the two main sources of food for people in need.
Loaves and Fishes, located at 2011 E. Main Street, Little Chute, provides food, general cleaning and personal products and informational resources at no cost to those individual and families in Kaukauna, Little Chute, Combined Locks, Hollandtown and surrounding areas who find themselves economically distressed.
The pantry is open Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
“It’s our privilege to serve the Community and bring a little joy, hope and love to those around us — you never know when the littlest act of kindness can change a life,” Schuh said, “and our recipients often ‘pay it forward,’ continuing to positively impact the lives of those around them — who wouldn’t want to be part of something so much bigger than themselves?”
Schuh said they try to vary their offerings based on the holidays or the seasons. Around Christmas, they offer traditional hams, turkeys and supplies with all the trimmings.
Throughout the different seasons, they offer produce that is most in-season, although they try to offer berries, fresh fruits, veggies, etc. all year around.
Schuh said their greatest need for donations right now includes paper products, toiletries and cleaning supplies.
Donations can be made by emailing the pantry at loavesandfisheskaukauna@gmail.com.
In addition to individual donations, the community chips in to help the pantry throughout the year.
In November, the Kaukauna Area School District’s annual food drive benefited Loaves and Fishes.
A year earlier, during the height of the pandemic, schools were able to collect 3,356 pounds of food and $85 in monetary donations.
Their food drive followed the Kaukauna Police Department’s successful ‘Stuff the Squad’ event at StoneRidge Piggly Wiggly.
Shoppers donated 531 pounds of food and $250 to support the Loaves and Fishes pantry.
The pantry was founded in 1985 through the efforts of several Kaukauna churches. It had a variety of locations throughout Kaukuana over the years before finding its current home in 2013 in Little Chute.
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