The Food Pantry, Inc., was started in 1981 by Elaine Schiff. Elaine, Joy Dreier, and a small group of determined women from St. John XXIII Parish—St. Peter of Alcantara Church in Port Washington, Wisconsin, found there to be a need for food assistance in Ozaukee County. The Food Pantry, Inc., was the first food shelter in Ozaukee County. Work began in the rectory basement. The Food Pantry started out small, and gradually came to service many families during its first few years of operation. Joy was the Director of The Food Pantry, Inc., from 1982 until 2014, with her husband Bob serving as President.
For a time, The Food Pantry, Inc., was the only food pantry in Ozaukee County. Over the years, the Saukville Food Alliance and Family Sharing of Grafton joined in the fight against hunger in our area. When Joy stepped down as Director in 2014, Pat Kozak became the new director and Phil Groothousen became its President. Both Pat
and Phil served The Food Pantry, Inc., for about ten years. The Food Pantry, Inc., continued to serve approximately 150 clients and families in the area with the coordination and help of dozens of volunteers over the years.
The Food Pantry now has grown to the point that it distributed over 203,000 pounds of food in 2024. In 2024, The Food Pantry serviced over 5,000 households, providing food to approximately 15,000 people. The need for food security has grown over the years, and The Food Pantry, Inc. has risen to the occasion with the help of its volunteers and generous donors.
The current Director Marcia Nosko and current President Steve Hansen are leading the transformation of The Food Pantry, Inc., as it transitions to a new facility that is approximately five times the size of the old facilities that were still in the rectory basement of St. John XXIII Parish—St. Peter of Alcantara Church. The new facility on Grand Avenue in Port Washington is looking to open in the fall of 2025 after extensive renovations to the old Aurora Clinic. The Food Pantry, Inc., looks to keep expanding its efforts to fight hunger in Ozaukee County and help to eradicate food insecurity in our area. The Food Pantry, Inc. is completely supported by the community through donations.