Oshkosh Salvation Army food pantry sees spike in demand as Pedal Out Hunger nears, and more in weekly dose

Mara Wegner, Oshkosh Northwestern
Updated ·4 min read
Volunteer Cheryl Schettl restocks bins and grocery carts for clients at the Salvation Army food pantry. The nonprofit organization will host a fundraiser, Pedal Out Hunger, on Aug. 12.
Volunteer Cheryl Schettl restocks bins and grocery carts for clients at the Salvation Army food pantry. The nonprofit organization will host a fundraiser, Pedal Out Hunger, on Aug. 12.

OSHKOSH - Since March, the Salvation Army of Oshkosh has seen a 36% increase in demand for its food pantry and hot meal programs.

The spike has been attributed to reductions in the SNAP FoodShare program and the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance program.

The Salvation Army makes thousands of hot meals annually for those in need. Nearly one in 10 Oshkosh households also utilize the food pantry.

“We gave out an additional 19,000 pounds of food this quarter over last,” Major James Mungai said in a news release. “The Salvation Army is impacted by escalating food prices just like everyone else. At this stage, we must buy more food to finish out the year, which puts us under a lot of financial pressure.”

To help raise funds to replenish the food supply, the Salvation Army of Oshkosh will host the Pedal Out Hunger Ride/Walk Aug. 12. The ride/walk is a 2-mile walk along the riverfront or multiple biking routes. The bike routes range from 6 to 30 miles.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. The ride/walk will start at 10 a.m., led by the Oshkosh Police Department. A post-ride/walk lunch will be served 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Salvation Army cafeteria, 417 Algoma Blvd.

Register at PedalOutHunger.org. To make a financial contribution, visit SAOshkosh.org.

Welcome to your weekly dose.Here is more news from throughout Winnebago County.

United Way needs volunteers for Train concert

The band Train, famous for hits like "Drops of Jupiter," "Hey, Soul Sister" and "If It's Love," will come to Oshkosh's at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Leach Amphitheater.
The band Train, famous for hits like "Drops of Jupiter," "Hey, Soul Sister" and "If It's Love," will come to Oshkosh's at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Leach Amphitheater.

Oshkosh Area United Way is looking for 50 volunteers to help serve beverages during the Train with Better Than Ezra concert Aug. 6 at the Leach Amphitheater.

A portion of concessions will benefit OAUW. Volunteers will receive a free T-shirt.

Registration closes July 31. Sign up online at VolunteerOshkosh.org.

The Claudettes to perform in Oshkosh July 29

The Claudettes
The Claudettes

The Claudettes, an internationally touring band from Chicago, will appear at 10 p.m. July 29 at Reptile Palace, 141 High Ave. Admission is free.

The group has released six albums over the last 10 years. They are introducing a new vocalist, Rachel Williams, and intend to release new music, videos and add tour dates.

Peniel Welsh hosts Drowsy Maggie's Celtic Band concert

The Peniel Welsh Chapel Association will present Drowsy Maggie’s Celtic Band at 6 p.m. July 29 at W9644 Zoar Road, Oshkosh.

Admission is a freewill offering. Refreshments will follow.

For more information, visit wggaw.org/peniel.

New GO Transit program gives students free rides for school

GO Transit will offer free bus rides for students in grades 6 to 12 for the 2023-24 school year. Students will need a new GO Transit ID card. Other forms of ID will not be accepted for this program.

The GO Transit Student Pass ID can be obtained from the transit office at 926 Dempsey Trail. An application form, signed by a parent or legal guardian, will be required. The form can be found online at ci.oshkosh.wi.us/transit. Forms also will be available at the transit office.

Passes can be obtained between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the GO Transit office; and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Downtown Transit Center, 110 Pearl Ave.

For more information, contact GO Transit at 920-232-5340.

Oshkosh Fire awarded Elevate Communities grant

The Oshkosh Fire Department was one of 11 local organizations to receive a grant from Capital Credit Union. The department requested funds for a lithium-ion battery car fire blanket.

The credit union awarded a total of $100,000 to local fire, police and EMS organizations through its Elevate Communities program.

For more information, visit capitalcu.com/elevate-communities.

Get your dose — stay connected

Get your dose of local community news here each week. For updates throughout the week, visit thenorthwestern.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

News tips

Send tips to oshkoshnews@thenorthwestern.com.

See our contact page.

Our impact

The Oshkosh Northwestern — part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin — strives to make a difference in our community. Read our 2022 Community Impact Report online.

Award-winning content

The Oshkosh Northwestern won eight total awards in the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.

Read more about the awards and follow links to the award-winning content by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

We appreciate your readership! Support our work by subscribing. Find details online or call 1-877-424-5048 and give offer code W-C4 to subscribe.

Contact Mara Wegner at mwegner@gannett.com or 920-996-7241.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh food pantry sees high demand, Pedal Out Hunger fundraiser set