Rebranding FAQ

What is happening?

Friedens Community Ministries is undergoing a name change! Beginning in June of 2024, we will begin to use the name NourishMKE.

We are very proud of our history as Friedens Community Ministries and our roots in the Milwaukee community since the opening of our first pantry in 1978 by the Friedens United Church of Christ. The seed planted then has grown significantly to become the largest network of food pantries in Milwaukee, serving 54,000 people annually. Providing nourishment through food and fellowship remain critical components of our mission, and we wanted our name to be synonymous with those activities.  We believe the NourishMKE name and brand capture our mission and purpose of who we are and the many services we now offer.  We hope our new name resonates with our community and partners as well as it did with us. We also hope it’s easier to pronounce and spell!

Yes.  We will begin using the NourishMKE name and logo exclusively and will no longer use Friedens Community Ministries, except as a historical reference.

  • Our food pantries will be referred to by their street name.
    • Coggs Center is now NourishMKE | Vliet St
    • Hope House Pantry is now NourishMKE | Orchard St
    • Zion Rock is now NourishMKE | Fond du Lac Ave
    • Despensa De La Paz is now NourishMKE | Mitchell St

Nourish Milwaukee or Nourish M-K-E, we’ll answer to both versions!

We contracted with a local marketing firm called CI Design to help us explore name and brand options. They completed interviews with our staff, leadership, community members, and key stakeholders to better understand our mission, history, impact on the community, and goals for the future.   They understood that, as a community, we’re always looking for new ways to remove barriers to food so that more people can be nourished.  Identifying nourishment of our community as a common theme, they presented a number of ideas and options to our leadership and staff, and ultimately NourishMKE was selected. 

  • It’s true, we began as a ministry program of Friedens United Church of Christ motivated by their faithful commitment to feed the hungry and care for the most vulnerable in our community. We have always been and continue to be supported by community members, volunteers, and donors motivated by their faith to join us in our mission. Through the years, this support has grown from our roots in the United Church of Christ to welcoming people of all denominations, all faiths, and those of no faith–all are welcome in our compassionate community. We look forward to continuing to nurture relationships with community members, volunteers, and donors whose faith underpins their service and support.
  • Our agency’s leadership is committed to carrying on the legacy of our founders, who sought not only to provide free, nutritious food to the community but also to nourish people in mind, body, and spirit. We are proud to continue, grow, and expand faith-partner engagement in the mission of building community through nourishment.

The work of changing our new name and logo is underway, and we plan for an official public switch-over in June 2024. 

NourishMKE best captures our mission of building inclusive community through food. We strive to create encouraging spaces where people from all backgrounds can select and prepare free, quality food with dignity, while building relationships and experiences that support wellness in all areas of life. Our community food centers nourish a beautiful variety of people. As our roots go deeper together in these communities, our lives intertwine and we begin to belong and contribute to something much bigger than ourselves. The fruit of that belonging is food for the body and life for the soul. When we join together, we are nourished and help each other grow.

Our mission, services, and commitment to the community are not changing even though our name is. NourishMKE remains the largest network of Community Food Centers in Milwaukee, WI where each year thousands of lives are nourished with food and friendship at four locations and through home deliveries. We also continue to offer food demonstrations, share food knowledge and education, engage in food recovery and recycling efforts, provide wellness services, and also create ample opportunities for volunteering and skill building for and within the community.

Thanks to the wonderful support of our donor community and funding partners, we will be updating everything with our new name and logo, including building This process may take a few months based on resource availability, so thank you for your patience in advance!

There are so many different ways that you can support our work, including all the ways that so many have already done over the past 40 years. Here are just some of the ways in which you can get connected and support the work of NourishMKE:

    • Volunteer – we have opportunities for individual and group volunteers, both on a recurring basis and for one-time activities or events
    • Organize at your church, school, community group or workplace a collection of food items (fresh and/or non-perishable)
    • Share the fresh produce that you grow in your home or community garden
    • Attend events and activities that NourishMKE and its partners organize onsite and throughout the neighborhood
    • Make a financial gift to the agency in the form of a one-time or recurring donation, in-kind contribution, response to special appeal or planned giving
    • Follow us on social media on Instagram (@nourishmilwaukee) and Facebook (@nourishmke)
    • Promote our work within your family, church, school, community group or workplace; invite NourishMKE staff and Board members to attend and speak at your church service, annual meeting, social gathering, etc…
  • You can call NourishMKE at (414) 289-6030, or email us at connect@nourishmke.org. You also check out our Get Involved section of our website for more information and for contact information for each of our pantries’ locations. 
  • Stay in touch by following us on social media

We are planning a public launch of our new name and logo at our June block party! Join us from 9:30 AM – Noon at 1615 S 22nd St on on June 29th to enjoy food and giveaways. We will update our website and share more details in our newsletters as they are finalized.  Make sure to visit the Stay in Touch section of our website to sign up for our newsletter if you haven’t already.   We’re looking forward to celebrating with you and the community!

Yes, we’d love to! Feel free to call or email us and visit the Stay in Touch section of our website to sign up for our newsletter in the meantime!  We appreciate your support and look forward to sharing more about opportunities to get more involved in our work during this exciting time!