Love Your Neighbor Grant Recipients

This year, the Diocese of Wisconsin’s "Loving Your Neighbor" grant program awarded $14,000 to parishes and ministries whose creative and compassionate projects embody Christ’s call to love and serve our neighbors. Each recipient’s initiative reflects a deep commitment to community engagement and faithful outreach.

Here are some of the ways this money is being put to use to spread love in these communities:

Bridging Hunger and Hope

In Racine, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church plans to expand its brown bag lunch program to twice a month, ensuring that downtown residents have reliable weekend meals. Similarly, St. Aidan’s Little Food Pantry offers 24/7 access to food and hygiene supplies, providing dignity and sustenance to neighbors in need. Thanks to the Loving Your Neighbor grant, the pantry’s expanded offerings will soon include essentials for infants and unemployed community members.

Welcoming

Grace Episcopal Church in Sheboygan is making a profound impact through the Guild of Saint Alban. Partnering with Episcopal Migration Ministries, the Guild assists refugees in resettling with dignity, offering life skills education, transportation, and even bilingual worship services. By purchasing shelving for their sharing closet and Spanish-language prayer books, the Guild will deepen its capacity to welcome the stranger.

Cultivating Community

Gardens are blooming at St. Luke’s in Bay View, where the Giving Garden supplies fresh produce to the Bay View Community Center’s food pantry. This project fosters environmental stewardship while creating a peaceful space for prayer and reflection, enriched with Biblical herb gardens and benches for quiet meditation.

Creative Outreach

Churches are reimagining their spaces to engage their neighborhoods. St. Mark’s in Milwaukee is hosting a hospitality-filled open house to unveil its new parish hall as a community hub. St. Dunstan’s in Madison is pioneering the Neighborly Spaces Project, welcoming unaffiliated individuals to unique events like “Public Living Rooms” and “Wild Church” gatherings.

Supporting the Most Vulnerable

In Minocqua, Caritas Minocqua, supported by St. Matthias, provides critical financial aid to individuals facing urgent needs like housing and medical bills. Meanwhile, St. Matthew’s in Kenosha is expanding its Giving Wall Ministry, offering care packages for the unhoused and underprivileged, ensuring no one is left without essential items.

Building Relationships

St. Mark’s in South Milwaukee has stepped up as the new gathering space for the “Friends of Chet” seniors group, providing a venue for fellowship after the closure of a local community center. This initiative strengthens bonds among older adults and increases the church’s visibility as a resource for the wider community.

Connecting Through Worship and History

Ascension Episcopal Church in Merrill fosters intergenerational connection with its Family Focus Sundays and Crafternoon events, blending worship with creative activities for all ages. Trinity Church in Baraboo offers interactive sanctuary tours, enriching visitors’ experiences with audio guides narrated by parishioners.

A Tradition of Generosity

The Fond du Lac Cathedral’s community Christmas Dinner continues its 24-year legacy of hospitality, serving festive meals to anyone in need. Volunteers offer a sit-down meal on Christmas Day, complete with individual service and festive decorations.

Celebrating a Shared Mission

Each of these ministries highlights the diversity of Episcopal outreach, united by a shared mission to serve Christ through loving their neighbors. These grants enable parishes to respond to unique local needs, demonstrating the creativity and compassion that defines our Diocese.

Overall, as we celebrate the ways these grants will go forth in love to these communities, we are reminded that God’s love is made manifest in the countless ways we care for one another. Whether through meals, gardens, worship, or welcome, our churches continue to embody hope and transformation in their communities. See below for more specifics on grants awarded.

2024 Loving Your Neighbor Grant Recipients

St. Mark's, South Milwaukee: Seniors Group Relocation after Closure of the South Milwaukee Community Center
St. Mark’s is working to relocate its Seniors Group following the closure of the South Milwaukee Community Center. This grant will support the efforts to provide a new, welcoming space for seniors in the community, including the cost of relocation and necessary resources for ongoing programming.

St. Matthias, Minocqua: Support of Caritas Minocqua
St. Matthias partners with Caritas Minocqua, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to serving low-income residents in the area. The grant will assist in providing critical supplies, food, and support to individuals facing financial hardship during the colder months.

St. Dunstan's, Madison, WI: The Neighborly Spaces Project
St. Dunstan's is creating spaces for neighbors to come together through their Neighborly Spaces Project. Funds from the grant will help build a community gathering space that fosters fellowship, learning, and connection for all ages and backgrounds in Madison.

St. Aidan's Episcopal Church: St. Aidan's Little Food Pantry
St. Aidan's is enhancing its Little Food Pantry to provide consistent access to food for those in need. The grant will enable the church to keep the pantry stocked with nutritious options, allowing parishioners to continue supporting the community in tangible ways.

St. Matthew's, Kenosha: St. Matthew's Giving Wall
The St. Matthew's Giving Wall initiative helps connect people in need with resources. The grant will help support the ongoing stocking and management of the Giving Wall, where parishioners can donate items like non-perishable food, clothing, and household goods for neighbors.

St. Mark's, Milwaukee: Neighborhood Parish Hall Open House
St. Mark’s will host an open house to encourage community involvement and invite local residents into the church's space. The funds will help cover costs associated with hosting the event, including refreshments, promotional materials, and activities to engage attendees.

St. Luke's - Racine: Saturday Brown Bag Lunch
St. Luke’s has expanded its weekend meal distribution efforts to address the meal gap in downtown Racine. Once a monthly initiative, the Saturday Brown Bag Lunch program now occurs twice a month, bringing parishioners into direct connection with people in need while fostering collaboration with other churches. Grant funds will help offset the costs of groceries and supplies.

Grace, Sheboygan: The Guild of Saint Alban: A Community Support Group for Refugees
Grace Church is supporting refugees through its Guild of Saint Alban, which provides a community support group. The grant will help fund programs that assist refugees with resources, support, and integration into the Sheboygan area.

Ascension Episcopal Church, Merrill: Family Focus Sunday and Crafternoon
Ascension Episcopal Church is launching Family Focus Sundays and a Crafternoon program to engage families and build community bonds. The grant will support the cost of materials and supplies for crafting activities, as well as snacks and other family-friendly programming.

St. Francis Episcopal Church, Menomonee Falls, WI: Coming Together In Community
St. Francis is creating a program called Coming Together in Community to build bridges across local neighborhoods. Grant funding will be used to host events that facilitate connections between people of different backgrounds, promoting mutual understanding and community engagement.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (Bay View), Milwaukee: Neighborhood Gardens
St. Luke’s Bay View is expanding its community gardens to provide fresh produce to local residents. The grant will help purchase gardening supplies and tools, as well as fund outreach efforts to involve more neighbors in this growing initiative.

Trinity Church, Baraboo: Audio Sanctuary Tour
Trinity Church is offering an innovative Audio Sanctuary Tour to help visually impaired individuals experience the beauty and history of their church. The grant will fund the development of the audio tour system and the creation of accessible materials for guests.

Fond du Lac Cathedral: Christmas Day Community Dinner
The Cathedral is reinstating its free Christmas Day Community Dinner, a festive sit-down meal for community members served by volunteers. Grant funds will help with food and decorations to ensure a warm and welcoming celebration. 

St. John's Episcopal Church: Expand Church Community Outreach Programs
St. John’s is expanding its outreach programs to better serve the growing needs of the community. Grant funds will help cover the cost of new initiatives focused on providing food, shelter, and other support services to local individuals and families in need.

Stay tuned for more outreach opportunities and grants!