Manitowoc's Grow It Forward suffers significant flooding. How you can help, plus more news in Streetwise.
MANITOWOC - The up-and-down winter weather we've seen in the lakeshore area in the past few weeks was especially unkind to Grow It Forward.
Read on for more about that, as well as other business news.
Grow It Forward under water after weather damage
The basement sump pump at Grow It Forward, 1501 Marshall St., sadly couldn’t keep up with the significant amount of rain and snow the city experienced early last week.
Water flowed into the non-profit’s lower basement lobby area, on the carpet and into the elevator shaft.
According to CEO Amber Daugs, the water rose about 2-1/2 feet in the elevator shaft and went over the building’s electrical line to the elevator pit sump pump, causing that one to fail.
Water also caused significant damage to the elevator.
"Opening that can of worms just opened up other cans of worms," she told Streetwise.
While looking over Monday’s water damage, staff opened a storage closet to find a secondary water issue that likely had gone unnoticed for some time. The storage room is filled with mold.
Insurance won’t cover water damage, flooding, sump pump failure or mold issues, Daugs said.
Early estimates show at least $150,000 in total repairs are needed.
So far, Grow It Forward has accrued plumbing and electrical expenses. A restoration company will begin to rip out carpet, cut out drywall and clean up hydraulic fluid that leaked into the elevator shaft.
An assessor was scheduled to visit to take a deeper look into water issues around the building’s foundation.
Giant cracks in the foundation are letting water leak into the building, Daugs said.
Once damage is assessed, it could take weeks or months for busy contractors to complete the work.
Grow It Forward is in the old St. John’s United Church, built in 1891. The church donated the building a few years ago to Grow It Forward.
Daugs said Grow It Forward's programming is at capacity and leaders had been in discussion about whether to stay in the building and expand, add an addition, or move to a new site. Those ideas will be put on hold while they deal with the water damage, she said.
The food pantry and Café Harmony is still open despite damages to the lower level of the building. Water was removed and the mold mitigated, she said. But volunteers must carry items up and down stairs without a working elevator, she said.
READ MORE: Manitowoc's Café Harmony shines with locally sourced produce and handmade bakery
This comes at a time when hunger needs are spiking in the community. Public funding implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic recently ended, meaning people using the Food Share program receive about $85 per person less each month.
"We are seeing need for our services go up," Daugs said. "We weren't planning on diverting funds needed to feed people to be used for significant building repairs."
She noted that in February, the food center and café distributed a little more than 7,400 pounds of food through its food program; served 206 households, including 310 adults and 232 children through its food pantry; and provided 1,416 meals through its community meal and shelter voucher program.
In the past year, more than 618 households registered with Grow It Forward for help, including 1,012 adults and 586 children.
Daugs started Grow It Forward in 2014. The group began renting space in the church in 2017 and expanded to include a commercial kitchen for others to use. A few years later, the church gifted to the building to Grow It Forward, which also features a community garden.
READ MORE: Grow It Forward continues expansion with new greenhouse, community garden
The organization has raised just more than $14,500 for re-contruction so far.
Learn how to donate or volunteer on the organization’s Facebook page or website.
Pine River wins another award
For the sixth year in a row, Pine River Cheese Spread earned a best-of-class award at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.
READ MORE: U.S. cheese champion: Best cheese is from Connecticut, but the cheese maker is from Wisconsin
The 2023 event was held in Green Bay in late February.
Pine River also took home two silver medals for outstanding cheese spreads.
Its Mango Habanero spread took first in the Flavored Cold Pack Cheese class with a score of 99 out of 100 total points.
“This is the first win for Mango Habanero and we’re so excited it’s been recognized,” said Marketing Director Mary Lindemann in a news release. “This spread combines spicy habanero peppers with sweet mango and is then blended with our expertly aged Wisconsin sharp cheddar for a perfect addition to your cheese board.”
The Jalapeno spread was a close second in the Flavored Cold Pack Cheese Class.
Pine River’s final award came in the Cheese Based Spreads class with Pimento taking second place. This was the second win for Pimento, a classic southern blend of cream cheese, pimentos and sharp cheddar cheese shreds, which also took home Best-of-Class in the 2022 World Championship Cheese Contest.
“We’re celebrating our 60th Anniversary this year and have won over 200 awards in that time, but the nervousness and excitement at these competitions never goes away,” Lindemann said. “When you see your product in that Best-of-Class spot and get to share that honor with your team, the dedicated people working so hard to make it all possible, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Shoreline Hometown wins award
Shoreline Hometown Credit Union recently was named the Small Business Weyenberg Prize winner.
The Weyenberg Prize, co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and InitiativeOne Leadership Institute, seeks to recognize business excellence where leadership transformation, strategy development and strategic execution are critical components of the organization’s corporate culture, according to a news release.
Shoreline was specifically recognized for its efforts in providing accessible and affordable financial services to communities that are statistically less likely to be served, including those with a low income or poor credit and non-English speaking communities.
“Shoreline Credit Union has built its base on providing no-fee checking accounts, flexible lending arrangements to those with either impaired or little credit, and providing second chances to those who need it,” the credit union's community outreach officer, Kyle Bryntesen, said in the release. “We have changed the financial lives of many members who simply could not get approved or even open an account at other financial institutions.”
Shoreline, based in Manitowoc, has about 8,000 members in nine counties — Brown, Outagamie, Winnebago, Door, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Kewaunee, Manitowoc and Sheboygan.
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Got a tip, comment or question for Streetwise Manitowoc? Contact reporter Patti Zarling at 920-606-2586 or send an email to pzarling@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Grow It Forward flood in Manitowoc: How to help the non-profit pantry
