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Brown Deer volunteers ask village for permanent space and memorandum of understanding for community food pantry
Summary
Volunteers described the Broadviewer Food Pantry’s rapid startup, monthly service numbers and funding, and requested a memorandum of understanding for a permanent room in the Dolan Senior Center; trustees asked clarifying questions about residency rules, refrigeration and volunteer capacity before the pantry agreed to work on logistics with parks and rec staff.
Becky Columbia and Nicole Munsback, volunteers with the Broadviewer Food Pantry, told the Brown Deer Village Board on Feb. 16 that their grassroots pantry opened Nov. 13 and has served 91 unique households and 256 individuals to date. They asked the village for a memorandum of understanding to secure a permanent room in the community center and described the pantry’s operations, finances and partnerships.
"We are a community based grassroots organization serving Brown Deer and its neighbors," Columbia said. She described three weekly distribution times (Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.–noon; Thursdays 4:30–6 p.m.; Sundays 12:30–2 p.m.), a mix of perishable and nonperishable donations, and a volunteer base of roughly 6–8 regular volunteers with about 30 people on a distribution list.
Columbia told the board the pantry has received about $2,000 in cash and gift-card donations and maintains roughly $372 in reserves to buy perishable items such as milk, cheese and eggs; volunteers said donors have committed to covering nonprofit-incorporation costs and first-year insurance if the pantry pursues incorporation.
Trustees asked whether the pantry requires proof of income or residency; volunteers said the pantry currently does not verify income and chose not to accept certain food-bank distributions because those typically require income verification. Trustees also asked about space needs; volunteers said the pantry’s primary operating area would be a classroom at the Dolan Senior Center, with access to the larger gathering hall on sorting days if programming allowed.
The volunteers listed active and prospective partners including Crossway Church (River Hills), the United Methodist Church, Brown Deer School District and the North Shore Health Department. Volunteer leaders asked the board to consider a memorandum of understanding to formalize village support for a permanent pantry location and to help the pantry continue developing sustainable operations.
Why it matters: Local food pantries are a frontline response to food insecurity. The pantry’s request — a village partnership and secure space — would affect village facility scheduling, potential cost-sharing for utilities and long-term volunteer coordination.
Next steps: Volunteers and parks-and-recreation staff said they will continue planning the logistics and timeline for use of the classroom at the Dolan Senior Center; the consent agenda containing related items moved forward that night.
