“Sonic!” 

For one kindergartner, there was never a question which backpack he was going to choose. 

From the moment he stepped through the door at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, he spotted the backpack featuring the hedgehog made famous by a video game and yelled out his name with joy. His excitement grew as he examined the backpack’s features close up. “Mom! There’s a lunch box. That’s so cool.”

His decision was one of hundreds made last week by parents and kids confronted with rows of brand new backpacks stocked with supplies. This year’s Back to School program provided backpacks and supplies to 629 students from 4K to college. The collective effort to help students have what they need to be ready to learn is fueled by financial support and donations from individuals, churches and businesses in our community.

Students and their parents walked in with curiosity and, in some cases, uncertainty about which backpack to choose. “Oh no, this is hard,” said more than one parent. They walked out with smiles and hope for the year ahead.

Some parents deployed a quick phone call or Facetime to determine what might be the best option. One posed the all-important question to her child over the phone: “Super Mario or Minecraft?”

The answer was Super Mario, and the mom who picked up that backpack along with three more for her other children marveled at the room full of choices. “We participated in the program the last two years and it has just been truly wonderful for our family,” she said. “It makes our kids so excited to start their school year.”

WayForward volunteer Lynn Metz has helped collect, organize and distribute backpacks and school supplies to hundreds of students over the last decade.

As the lead volunteer for the Back to School program, Metz spends a lot of her summer thinking about the first day of school and what it means for kids to have what they need when they walk into their classrooms.

“There’s more need out there in our small community than people realize,” Metz says. “This brings to light the fact that kids need support to start off on the right foot.”

The massive organizational effort comes together with financial support and donations from individuals, churches and businesses. “The community is amazing,” Metz says. “We have a company that’s packing first grade backpacks, we have another company that’s packing kindergarten backpacks. I love the involvement.”

For Metz, the highlight is the day students arrive to pick out their backpacks. “No one that comes in has any idea how much work was involved in the program. Everything is organized by grade, and the backpacks are just sitting there ready to go,” she says. “I love seeing that.”

To support this year’s Back to School Program, visit our seasonal support page.

 

A crew of volunteers from Springs Window Fashions signed up for painting duty to give our food barrels a makeover ahead of our name change to WayForward Resources in May.

Springs has a strong history as a community partner and their role in this transition was fitting.

Some of WayForward’s donation barrels originally came from Springs — many years ago they received them with product deliveries and they later repurposed them as food barrels for company food drives.

Want to organize a food drive? Visit our drives page!

Our Connections housing program helps families move out of doubled-up living situations. Your support helps the program provide security deposits, household items and other support to ensure stability. One participant, who was able to move with her family into an apartment of their own before the birth of her second child, shared her experience in the program with her Connections case manager, Nicole Verhagen.

What did it mean to bring your new baby home to your very own apartment after having to double up with another family for a period of time?

Having our own space has meant that our baby can grow up in a better environment where there is tranquility, peace and joy.

What are the most important ways WayForward has helped your family?

Everything they have done has been very important, because they have been with us unconditionally. They helped me a lot during all the stages of my pregnancy and until the birth
of my baby and I will forever be thankful for this opportunity. It has been a relief to have this unconditional help.

How do you feel about your family’s future now?

By connecting with WayForward one finds a horizon, an unconditional help. I feel very happy, with many expectations, eager to move forward and with the hope that in the future we will be in a position where we can help other families with that same compassion that we have received.

What are your dreams for yourselves and your kids going forward?

My dream is that my children will grow in a stable environment, so that they can focus on their studies and that they can grow as people with good values. It is my hope that they fill themselves with good knowledge and
compassion so that they can have a good future.

Circle of Hope, WayForward’s group of monthly givers, makes it easy to increase the impact of your donations over a longer period of time.

Are you a current donor? For a few dollars more per month, you can provide a critical source of sustainable income that allows us to deliver food and housing assistance where most needed. A first-time donor? For the cost of several lattes per week, you can help more neighbors remain in housing and keep our pantry shelves stocked with nutritious food. 

“We give to WayForward because we truly believe their efforts help improve the lives of our community members. By giving on a regular monthly schedule, our hope is that WayForward will be able to plan their resource allocation more accurately when looking at future financial  commitments,” says a Circle of Hope donor. “We feel blessed to have an organization like WayForward in our community because helping one of us helps all of us!”

Join us in creating food access and housing stability with your monthly donation. Click the DONATE button and choose a monthly amount that is comfortable for you. Thank you for your support!

JOIN CIRCLE OF HOPE

Carmen Karvelis, our new Food Access Manager, leads WayForward’s food pantry and develops and maintains partnerships with volunteers, donors, and community agencies.

Before joining WayForward earlier this year, she was the e-pantry coordinator for The River Food Pantry in Madison. Carmen also has several years of domestic violence survivor advocacy and housing experience, which helps her collaborate with our housing stability team and understand the barriers our clients/guests face when accessing programs. In her spare time, Carmen loves cooking and spending time with friends. She also enjoys playing music and going to concerts.

WayForward Resources was so excited to receive a donation from Metro Market and Pick ‘n Save stores of $30,000 of food and personal essentials weighing nearly 18,000 pounds to help fight hunger in our community. Staff and volunteers were thrilled when the truck filled with 20 pallets of everything from diapers and formula to spaghetti sauce and canned goods arrived. With the huge increase in demand we’ve seen, the timing couldn’t have been better.

Staff and volunteers were there to receive and then later sort the food. “The timing is perfect,” said Laurie Baker, long-time WayForward volunteer. “We needed the food desperately.” One volunteer who helped receive the donation was Kevin Walther. Kevin used to work at the Middleton Pick ‘n Save (now Metro Market) for five years bagging, stocking, and facing items. He’s been volunteering at WayForward for one year. Kevin wore his red cape because it reminds him of staying positive, working together, and helping others who need assistance. “You’re a hero for helping people out,” Kevin said.

“Inflation and the end of Covid-era assistance has led to us serving the equivalent of more than 90,000 meals a month, a 130% increase from last year,” said Ellen Carlson, Executive Director of WayForward Resources. “We are so excited about this donation from Metro Market and Pick ‘n Save stores because not only does it help fill our shelves with nutritious food for people in our community, but it will make available a huge variety of food, allowing people to select food that makes sense for them and their families.”

The generous donation received media coverage from News 3 Now, WKOW 27 and the Middleton Cross Plains Times-Tribune.

We are thankful for heroes like Kevin and Laurie and our friends at Metro Market and Pick ‘n Save stores who make it possible for more people in our community to access healthy food.

WayForward Resources welcomed nearly 100 people to an open house on June 5 celebrating our new name.

Volunteers, supporters and local officials visited the food pantry to meet staff and take mini-tours to learn more about our mission to build food security and housing stability. The event included a ceremonial ribbon cutting by the Middleton Chamber of Commerce, led by Executive Director Ellen Carlson.

The event received media coverage from NBC 15 and WKOW.

 

 

Our name change to WayForward Resources received coverage from multiple local media sources this week:

Wisconsin State Journal

Middleton Outreach Ministry has changed its name to reflect its expanded mission. The new name, WayForward Resources, clarifies that the organization’s food pantry is now open to everyone in Dane County and that, over time, the service area for housing stability programs has expanded beyond Middleton to include Cross Plains and west Madison.

Middleton Cross Plains Times-Tribune

After more than 40 years, Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) is getting a new name–WayForward Resources. “We have been talking about this for 10 years,” stated WayForward Resources Executive Director Ellen Carlson, who said the name is intended to remove barriers in supporting residents who need assistance.

WisBusiness

The transition is taking place as demand for the services the organization provides continues to increase, driven in part by reduced federal food assistance and rising rents in Dane County. The change to WayForward Resources will reduce confusion about the mission of the organization and make it easier for clients to understand the services it provides, Carlson says. 

InBusiness

WayForward Resources serves more than 5,000 people a year. Its food pantry distributes the equivalent of more than 100,000 meals per month to people facing food insecurity. About 500 households a year receive funds from WayForward’s housing stability program, and 98% of participants maintain housing and avoid eviction for a year or longer. 

WayForward Resources has partnered with United Way of Dane County for more than two decades. Thanks to President & CEO Renee Moe for her message about the transition to our new name and the work ahead!