WAFER Food Pantry

The WAFER Mobile Pantry will be at the following locations in LaCrosse County this week.

*Tuesday August 27th Stoffel Court Apts LaCrosse 9-11am

*Tuesday August 27th Holmen Community Center 12:30-1:30pm

*Wednesday August 28th Pinedale Apartments Onalaska 9-1Oam.

*Wednesday August 28th Greendale Apartments Onalaska 10:15-11:15 am.

The pantry will be close on Monday, September 2nd. Please plan your visits accordingly this next week.

Visit our table and chat with volunteers at this community event hosted by Planned Parenthood Western Wisconsin. We will be available to answer questions about services, volunteering, and more. See you there!

WAFER is assisting Beer By Bike Brigade in the sale of raffle tickets for this beauty. For each ticket sold we will receive $25, which will provide 100 meals for our shoppers. The more tickets sold the meals that will be provided.

Considering upping your odds of winning by getting your own ticket? See us soon! Yesterday 8 went out the door in just a couple of hours. Tickets are limited to only 1000. Get yours today!

Win the truck and your first speeding ticket is on BBBB (36 days left).

Tickets to win this $74,000 truck + $1,800 2-bicycle carrier + $1,350 bedliner cover are available at TOYOTA of La Crosse, Landmark Financial Partners, Beer By Bike Brigade Bingo, or Moon Tunes La Crosse. You could also mail a check to BBBB, PO BOX 532, La Crosse, WI 54602.

*View raffle ticket sample in comment section.

Shout out to our friends at Target Store Lacrosse for their partnership in providing great fresh product for our shoppers. Our own little "coop" boasts such a wonderful variety thanks to you - greens, fresh fruit, deli items, salad kits, and more. Not to mention protein items like dairy products and meat. Thanks Target for feeding people in your local communities!

Tom was at WAFER bright and early to get his tickets this morning, and you should too!

Only 1000 total tickets available for your chance to drive home a sharp looking ride!

For every ticket WAFER sells, BBBB will share the funds. And, every ticket sold will provide 100 meals to our shoppers. Be like Tom, get yours today.

Door are open Monday-Friday 8-12:30. Can't make it at that time? Call the office (608-782-6003 x5) to schedule.

The WAFER Mobile Pantry will be at the following locations this week in LaCrosse.

*Tuesday August 20th Stokke Tower Apartments LaCrosse 9-11am.

*Wednesday August 21st Sauber Manor Apartments LaCrosse 9-11am.

*Thursday August 22nd Christopherson Apartments LaCrosse 9-10 am.

*Thursday August 22nd Schu-Mullen Neighborhood Northside LaCrosse 10:30-12:00 pm.

Wednesday, September 4th. Our friends from BMO Harris Bank will be in-house to provide information and resources on all things money for our shoppers. Mark your calendars for this awesome opportunity.

Thanks to our friends at the Scouts of Wisconsin - Badgerland Council for the donations of 550 cases of cookies! What a great treat for our shoppers!!

How would you like to drive this sharp vehicle around town, go mudbogging, or drive through the mountains? Well, you can have a chance at it! For just $100 you can purchase 1 of 1000 raffle tickets available.

WAFER is assisting Beer By Bike Brigade in selling raffle tickets to support community initiatives, and will receive $25 per ticket sold! For each ticket sold, 100 meals can be provided!!! The drawing for the BRAND NEW Toyota Tundra TRD Pro (valued at $75,000) will be held on September 25th at the Omni Center Bingo night. [Imagine driving up the river road at fall in this swanky ride!]

There will also be a drawing for second prize - a 4 person hot tub. Each ticket also has $50 worth of coupons for local restaurants, $10 off your next visit no minimum. How sweet is that?

Call the office (608-782-6003 x1), email ([email protected]), or direct message to get yours today.

The WAFER Mobile Pantry will be at these locations this week in LaCrosse.
If you know someone that could use our services please forward this on to them.

*Tuesday August 13th Becker Plaza Apartments LaCrosse 9-11am.

*Wednesday August 14th Solberg Heights Apartments LaCrosse 9-11am.

*Thursday August 15th Ping Manor Apartments LaCrosse 9-11am.

Last week, we had a volunteer group from the of La Crosse, Wisconsin Mayor's office. Mayor Mitch helped primarily in the warehouse with deliveries, weighing and sorting product. The rest of the team helped with stocking the pantry and then assisted shoppers while they chose food items. It's always great to showcase what WAFER does for the community and our neighbors in need of food help, provide some hands on experience, and for us to be on the receiving end of a little extra help.

Bangor FFA brought us a load of beautiful corn this week. Fresh from the field! If you are craving fresh corn this weekend, visit us before 12:30 today.

Wow you guys! We had a great response and have tonight (thursday) covered. We would love for you to choose other nights to ensure enough help for shoppers. Also, because of the great response it might take longer than you might expect for our staff to get back to you. We appreciate your patience, AND your willingness to step up to help meet these needs!

A couple of weeks ago we reported to the community how needs have increased, meaning food needs have also increased. Longer lines are becoming commonplace. The only way to get people through in an efficient way is thanks to volunteers.

However, we need help. Volunteer schedules are about half full during the morning shifts, but the evening is even more sparse. Thursday evening, August 8th, only has 2 people signed up to help. That means there will only be 2 people to help guide shoppers through the pantry, and it takes each shopper about 15 minutes. At that rate and with 2 volunteers, only 20 families will be able to shop. That is less than half of families served during a typical shift. So, if you are so inclined, if you have some time you are willing to give, we know the families who rely on WAFER would be so appreciative. We would too!

Find volunteer information here: https://waferlacrosse.org/volunteer/
To sign up to be a helper call 608-782-6003, x1 or email [email protected]. Thanks in advance for helping to meet this need.

A couple of weeks ago we reported to the community how needs have increased, meaning food needs have also increased. Longer lines are becoming commonplace. The only way to get people through in an efficient way is thanks to volunteers.

However, we need help. Volunteer schedules are about half full during the morning shifts, but the evening is even more sparse. Thursday evening, August 8th, only has 2 people signed up to help. That means there will only be 2 people to help guide shoppers through the pantry, and it takes each shopper about 15 minutes. At that rate and with 2 volunteers, only 20 families will be able to shop. That is less than half of families served during a typical shift. So, if you are so inclined, if you have some time you are willing to give, we know the families who rely on WAFER would be so appreciative. We would too!

Find volunteer information here: https://waferlacrosse.org/volunteer/
To sign up to be a helper call 608-782-6003, x1 or email [email protected]. Thanks in advance for helping to meet this need.

The WAFER Mobile Pantry will be at the following locations this week.

*Tuesday August 6th St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church Holmen 9-11am

*Wednesday August 7th Forest Park Apartments LaCrosse 9-11am.

*Thursday August 8th Huber Court Neighborhood Gladys Street LaCrosse 10:30-11:30.

*Thursday August 8th Carroll Heights Apartments LaCrosse back parking lot 12:15-1:15 pm.

*Thursday August 8th River Crest Mobile Home Park LaCrosse 1:30-2:30 pm.

In the last week we have had two outstanding volunteer groups, Sysco and Clifton Larson Allen. Volunteer groups are so fun, most haven't been to WAFER before. There are always a lot of questions about who we are and what we do. Many are stunned by the logistics of operations, retail rescue, and the number of people who are served in just one shift. We put these folks to work sorting food donations, stocking shelves and coolers, assisting patrons, and weeding landscaping beds. They worked hard! We couldn't be more grateful for the many ways our community steps up to help - including the generous donations they brought with!

What a cool place to make a difference tonight or tomorrow?

We are running low on volunteer help for tonight, Thursday 3:30-7:30, and for tomorrow 8:30/9-12:30. This morning was exceptionally busy and we are anticipating the same for this evening. Volunteers will help with assisting shoppers through the pantry, stocking shelves and coolers, sorting, and more. If you are able to help please comment below or give the office a call at 608-782-6003 and leave a message. Thank you in advance for helping meet this need.

Bags, you have them and we need them. We are particularly in need for PLASTIC bags.

Clean bags can be dropped off while the doors are open, left at the front door, or placed on the service window under the canopy in the alley.

Thanks so much for helping to meet this need!

The WAFER Mobile Pantry will be at the following locations in LaCrosse County this week.

*Thursday August 1st Salzer Square Apartments LaCrosse 9-10:30 am

*Thursday August 1st Coach Lite Estates Mobile Home Park LaCrosse 11-12pm.

*Friday August 2nd Onalaska Legion parking lot 9-10 am.

*Friday August 2nd Dahl/Anytime Fitness parking lot Hwy 16 West Salem 10:45-11:45 am.

Looking for something fun to do Saturday night? A fun outing for the children? Here is a great opportunity thanks to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region.

You have likely heard from our staff on the news and radio regarding an urgent request for help. Need is outpacing supply and to purchase several items to get us through another month would cost $12,000.

Friends, if you can help in any way it would be appreciated. Sharing this information within your networks would also be appreciated. Many doing just a little = big impact!

A year after moving into their new building, WAFER faces new challenges WAFER Food Pantry moved to a new, bigger building to meet the needs of their community. They're now facing new challenges.

Looking for some fun tomorrow, Wednesday, evening? Head on down to Riverside Park for a free concert. It is also the annual "WAFER night", so bring a canned good or two or more for the bands collection. Our thanks to the leadership and member of La Crosse Concert Band for holding this annual collection!

At this time, WAFER has the greatest need for peanut butter, soup and crackers, breakfast foods (cereal, bars, pancake mix), pasta, and canned proteins like tuna, chicken, etc.. Personal care and hygiene items are always welcome. Thank you in advance for participating in this food drive!

This week’s concert titled "Nouns with Resounding Sounds" will be conducted by Mark Lakmann.

Tunes will include "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (arr. Rouse), "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (arr. Ford), "Alkali Ike Rag" (arr. Seibe), "You Raise Me Up" (arr. Wasson), and excerpts from Stravinsky's "Firebird". Vocal soloist will be Matt Curtis. Concert begins at 7p with the National Anthem and includes a Children's March midway through when kids parade the aisles with American flags.

Our major sponsor this week is the La Crosse Kiwanis Club.

Are you interested in a facility tour?

The next available opportunity will be Tuesday, August 6th at 1:30pm. Pre-registration IS required and is first come first served. To reserve your spot call 608-782-6003 x1 or email [email protected]. Please provide first and last name, and phone number. If you pre-register and won't be able to make it please do call to let our staff know.

Hope you can come on out and join us!

The WAFER Mobile Pantry will be at the following locations this week in LaCrosse County.

*Tuesday July 23rd Stoffel Court Apts LaCrosse 9-11am.

*Tuesday July 23rd Holmen Community Center/Boys and Girls Club 12:30-1:30 pm.

*Wednesday July 24th Pinedale Apartments Onalaska 9-1Oam.

*Wednesday July 24th Greendale Apartments Onalaska 10:15-11:15 am.

*Thursday July 25th Christopherson Apartments LaCrosse 9-10 am.

*Thursday July 25th Schu-Mullen Neighborhood LaCrosse 10:30-12:00 pm.
* If you know anyone that can use our services please forward this on to them.

Wednesday was Day of Caring 2024. What a fantastic group of volunteers from various local businesses! We even had some young helpers too! Wow, this group knocked out some projects - beef patties, bacon, and garlic repackaging - prepped the pantry for shoppers, and shined the cooler doors. We are so grateful for such great help day in and day out to make sure our community is served well!

This week, seniors enrolled in WAFER's delivery program received a package on their doorstep thanks to a group of amazing volunteers. Packages included canned goods (such as cereal, peanut butter, soup, pasta, canned veggies), bread, cheese, frozen meat, and produce. Thank you volunteers for taking such good care of our homebound neighbors!

If you are interested or able to help with deliveries, please reach out to Laura (pictured assembling packages to be delivered) at 608-782-6003. Specifically, we are looking for someone to deliver to 6 people in the south La Crosse area, 4 of which live in one neighborhood. Thank you in advance for helping to meet this need!

Our thanks to the team Health Educators from Gundersen Health System who spent some time with us last Tuesday and Thursday. The team offered blood pressure screenings and other helpful health-related educational materials. We can't wait to have them back again.

*Having his blood pressure taken is volunteer, Terry. Terry spends a few days a week stocking shelves and sorting food donations. Thanks, Terry!

The WAFER Mobile Pantry will be at the following locations this week in LaCrosse.

Tuesday July 16th Stokke Tower Apartments 9-11am.

Wednesday July 17th Sauber Manor Apartments LaCrosse 9-11am.

Thursday July 18th Ping Manor Apartments LaCrosse 9-11am.

Jerry visited the pantry a few weeks ago. He never thought his family would be in the position of having to ask for food assistance. Life threw Jerry a curveball.

Years of schooling and studying, hard work, and dedication put Jerry in a position to provide well for his family. Certainly a six-figure income provides for a comfortable maybe even an opportunity filled lifestyle. However, a cancer diagnosis turned Jerry's world upside down and Jerry found himself turning to WAFER to help put food on the table.

People who seek help from WAFER come from all walks of life and circumstances. WAFER is here for Jerry and his family, and thousands of other people each month when they need it most. Thank you for providing a safety net for our friends and neighbors right here at home. Please visit the website for more information on available services, how to donate, or how to get involved.

WAFER | The Largest Food Pantry Serving the La Crosse Area WAFER is a non-profit food pantry feeding families and individuals throughout La Crosse County and La Crescent, MN.