Tosa Cares: Serving the community for 15 years (Part 1)

Linda Ertel shares some thoughts and photos on the early days of Tosa Cares. Stay tuned for part 2 coming in February!

It was late December, 2007. The Tosa For Kids Food program had been operating out of the Wauwatosa Police Department under the direction of Officer Judy Neuder. Officer Neuder was retiring, and the police station could no longer provide the space for the food pantry.  Because there was a definite need, Officer Neuder and the Tosa for Kids Board was hoping perhaps a church, a service group or an individual might take over? Many groups were asked to consider this request, but the responses were not positive. UNTIL Linda Ertel brought it to the Mount Zion Lutheran Church Outreach Committee (which Tom and Linda were members of). Their response? “We will find a way!”

Two other Wauwatosa churches, Mount Carmel Lutheran and St. Matthew’s Lutheran, agreed to help. In January 2008 an eleven member board was formed from these 3 churches and other community members. They decided to form a new entity and Tosa Cares was born!

There was much to be done. In February of 2008 shelving and remaining food donations were moved from the police station and reconfigured in a spare room in Mt. Zion Lutheran on 120th and North Ave. The first priorities were organizing the space, collecting food, and

finding ways to connect with families in need.

To be continued…

5% off at Metcalfe's in November!

We're excited to announce that for the month of November we're

partnering with Metcalfe's Market (68th & State in Wauwatosa) to earn money for Tosa Cares and give you a discount! Use this coupon to save 5% off your grocery purchases anytime, all month long. And not only will you save - but at the end of the month Metcalfe's will donate 5% of all our neighborhood member purchases back to us. We'll be using this

money for our Tosa Cares November Turkey Drive and other pantry related needs!

Print this coupon out or present the image on your phone. You can follow us on our Instagram (@tosacares) and Facebook pages to find a handy image of the barcode you can open on your phone as well to scan at checkout.

Tosa Cares 2022 Fall Turkey Drive

Every year Tosa Cares distributes frozen turkeys to local families. Once again we're reaching out to our community to offer the opportunity to pitch in for this great cause and donate a turkey! A $25 donation will purchase a single turkey, however donations of any amount are

welcome.

Our Turkey cost is between $25.00-36.00 (10-16 pounds) and we need need 300 turkeys ($7500).

Please help us reach our goal of 300 turkeys! This last year and a half has been difficult for many families and your donation will provide a family in need with a memorable Thanksgiving dinner to share with their loved ones.

Every dollar we can generate towards the cost of turkeys is another dollar we can instead use to stock our pantry and fill donation boxes with nonperishable food, fresh produce, and personal care items. Just as a reminder, we have zero administrative costs! All donations are used for purchases for the pantry and your donation has a direct impact.

Donations are fully tax-deductible and can be made safely and securely using PayPal. Follow the link below and donate $25 today!

Click here to donate $25 on PayPal