"Road to recovery:" Providing a hot meal to thousands just got easier for one Milwaukee shelter



MILWAUKEE -- When it's bitterly cold outside, homeless shelters are very busy. But at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, providing a hot meal to thousands of guests just got a little bit easier.

Chicken drumsticks were in the fryer Wednesday, January 4th -- and there was plenty of ham and hot soup to go around.

"A good, hot meal is very often the first step in that road to recovery," said Pat Vanderburgh, president of the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.

This food would be served to the hundreds of men, women and children staying at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. A lot of it was paid for by Walmart.



"We do it because it's one way we can reach out to the community and show we are a part of the community," said Horace Gant, Greenfield Walmart store manager.

The Walmart Foundation awarded a $40,000 grant to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.

"That is about a month's worth of meals here at the Rescue Mission," said Vanderburgh.

Walmart's State Giving Program awards these grants to non-profit organizations in all 50 states. Shelter leaders said the money will cover the cost of $20,000 meals during a critical time.



The cold temperatures mean more mouths to feed.

Starting around 9:00 a.m. each day, the kitchen at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission gets busy -- as the chefs prepare three meals a day. They feed about 800 people per day.

"We are able to provide a place where people can begin to put brokenness back together again, move out of the shelters, and provide for themselves and their families," said Vanderburgh.

The Milwaukee Rescue Mission relies entirely on donations. They need winter clothing, as well as non-perishable food. They also always accept monetary donations.