Welcome to our Summer of Service for 2022! This is an initiative from our newly-formed Community Partners Committee, where we ask all members of St. Mark’s to participate in the work of one of our partner ministries in some capacity. This summer we will be partnering with four local organizations — Kinship Community Food Center, The Gathering, Eastside Senior Services, and Milwaukee Diaper Mission. 

We’ve planned out a variety of ways that you can participate — from volunteering at the organizations directly, doing projects for the organizations at St. Mark’s, fundraising, and more. Please take a look at the opportunities below and decide how you’ll be participating. There are links to sign up to volunteer below. 

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Sara Bitner, parish administrator, who will be happy to assist you.

Kinship Community Food Center

Kinship Community Food Center (formerly Riverwest Food Pantry) is an organization committed to improving lives and growing community well-being in the city of Milwaukee. It engages volunteers and community residents to end hunger, isolation, and poverty. On average, almost 300,000 pounds of food is served here to more than 19,000 community members every year.

We have several ways to support the Kinship Community Food Center. We will be volunteering at their site, we will be fundraising for them, and we will be growing vegetables for them.

We have two dates to volunteer on-site at the Kinship Community Food Center site at St. Casimir’s Catholic Church at 924 E. Clarke St.

  • Tuesday, June 14, from 2:30 to 6:30 pm (distributing food)
  • Friday, July 8, from 8:30 to 11 am (sorting food)

You can sign up to volunteer for these two dates here.

Additionally, we need volunteers for a carnival-themed, kid-friendly fundraiser on Saturday, June 25, during the Downer Avenue Bike Races. All proceeds will go to Kinship Community Food Center. We will have two volunteer shifts (10 am-1 pm and 1-4 pm). Please indicate your interest in volunteering here.

We’ve already got vegetables growing for Kinship in the two raised beds that our youth and adults installed earlier this spring. In addition, the children will be planting vegetables to take home to grow. The food that they grow will be donated to Kinship.

The Gathering

The Gathering is a Milwaukee organization that feeds those who would otherwise go hungry or without. St. Mark’s has had a long relationship with The Gathering as it began as a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. The Gathering serves between 80,000-90,000 meals annually. 

There are two options for volunteering at The Gathering — on Saturday, July 23, and Saturday, August 6. We will be serving lunch at the Running Rebels location at 1300 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Volunteers are needed from 10 am-1 pm.

You can sign up for either of these dates here.

Eastside Senior Services

Eastside Senior Services is an organization that helps adults 60 and older living on the Eastside and Shorewood remain independent in their own homes by offering free services such as transportation, companionship, shopping, light chores, minor home repairs, yard work, and more. 

On Thursday, July 14, we will be assisting Eastside Senior Services in holding a brunch for its clients. We need volunteers to prepare food, set up and serve food, and clean up.

The brunch will take place at St. Mark’s. You can sign up to volunteer here.

Milwaukee Diaper Mission

The Milwaukee Diaper Mission (MDM) is a nonprofit organization that partners with local social service agencies to distribute disposable and reusable diapering and period supplies to the families that they serve. 

There are two options for volunteering at the Milwaukee Diaper Mission warehouse in Oak Creek. Volunteers are needed on Saturday, June 18, from 9 to 11 am, and on Saturday, August 13, from 9 to 11 am. You can sign up to volunteer here.

In addition to our on-site volunteer opportunities, on Sunday, July 31, during Coffee Hour at St. Mark’s, we will set up a station for everyone to put together packages of period supplies for MDM to distribute to people. There is no need to sign up for this; just come to Coffee Hour after the 10 am service that morning.