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Westside Stories Spring Newsletter

Our Westside Stories Spring Newsletter shares updates about our programs and highlights from recent events. The new spring edition features a moving testimonial from a food pantry participant, information about our pantry’s food delivery offerings, a recap of the successful events like the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and America 250/JustServe and much more!

Read our Spring Newsletter to learn more about the initiatives we are taking at The Other Way Ministries and the positive impact these programs are making in our Westside community.

You can subscribe to receive our quarterly newsletter directly by visiting https://theotherway.org/connect/.

More Blog and News Stories

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Delivers

For the 3rd year, our Food Pantry has received thousands of pounds of food from the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Led by the National Association of Letter Carriers on the second Saturday each May, the event has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive.
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For the 3rd year, our Food Pantry has received thousands of pounds of food from the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Led by the National Association of Letter Carriers on the second Saturday each May, the event has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive.
For the 3rd year, our Food Pantry has received thousands of pounds of food from the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Led by the National Association of Letter Carriers on the second Saturday each May, the event has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive.  
 
Letter carriers throughout the Westside picked up much-needed donations of nonperishable food items from generous neighbors along their routes, delivering them to The Other Way throughout the afternoon of May 9. We were honored to have 62 volunteers contribute 195 hours of time to sort, stack and shelve over 12,500 pounds of food. Some of the most popular donations included canned vegetables, tuna and pasta – which are equally as popular with Westside neighbors who use our pantry.

“This is a beautiful example of neighbors supporting neighbors,” said Food Program Director Bethany Joseph. “Westsiders were again generous with their donations this year, which will help us keep our shelves stocked as we head into summer.

“We appreciate the efforts from our wonderful letter carriers, who added food collection and delivery in addition to their regular mail routes on Saturday. We’re also so grateful for our wonderful volunteers, who donated hours of time to make this drive another huge success!”
For the 3rd year, our Food Pantry has received thousands of pounds of food from the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Led by the National Association of Letter Carriers on the second Saturday each May, the event has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive.  
 
Letter carriers throughout the Westside picked up much-needed donations of nonperishable food items from generous neighbors along their routes, delivering them to The Other Way throughout the afternoon of May 9. We were honored to have 62 volunteers contribute 195 hours of time to sort, stack and shelve over 12,500 pounds of food. Some of the most popular donations included canned vegetables, tuna and pasta – which are equally as popular with Westside neighbors who use our pantry.

“This is a beautiful example of neighbors supporting neighbors,” said Food Program Director Bethany Joseph. “Westsiders were again generous with their donations this year, which will help us keep our shelves stocked as we head into summer.

“We appreciate the efforts from our wonderful letter carriers, who added food collection and delivery in addition to their regular mail routes on Saturday. We’re also so grateful for our wonderful volunteers, who donated hours of time to make this drive another huge success!”

2025 Annual Report: Walking Alongside our Westside Neighbors since 1967

Last year, The Other Way Ministries had more community members than ever come through our doors seeking support and connection. Our incredible team walked alongside Westsiders by providing a wide range of timely services to meet their needs: food assistance, youth and family programs, early childhood education and community support services.
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Last year, The Other Way Ministries had more community members than ever come through our doors seeking support and connection. Our incredible team walked alongside Westsiders by providing a wide range of timely services to meet their needs: food assistance, youth and family programs, early childhood education and community support services.

Our 2025 Annual Report showcases both stories and statistics, including that of Shanicka, who came to The Other Way Ministries looking for childcare. Our team realized her needs went beyond childcare, and we were able to help her find transitional housing, steady employment and a vehicle. She’s now working on her next big goal: preparing for home ownership.

Some of last year’s numbers really help tell our story of service and support:

  • Our Little Lights Childcare Center provided peace of mind to 35 families whose 50 children received “genuine heartfelt care.”
  • Our Resource Program fielded nearly 2,000 request for assistance with housing,rent, utilities, food and other basic needs.
  • Our Food Pantry received nearly 12, 750 pounds of food from the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, nearly triple the amount collected from the year before.
  • Nearly 80 volunteers donated a total of 6,648 hours to support our programs.

We are grateful to all who helped make this possible: our amazing staff, incredible community partners and dedicated volunteers.

Read more stories of impact in our 2025 Annual Report.

Our 2025 Annual Report showcases both stories and statistics, including that of Shanicka, who came to The Other Way Ministries looking for childcare. Our team realized her needs went beyond childcare, and we were able to help her find transitional housing, steady employment and a vehicle. She’s now working on her next big goal: preparing for home ownership.

Some of last year’s numbers really help tell our story of service and support:

  • Our Little Lights Childcare Center provided peace of mind to 35 families whose 50 children received “genuine heartfelt care.”
  • Our Resource Program fielded nearly 2,000 request for assistance with housing,rent, utilities, food and other basic needs.
  • Our Food Pantry received nearly 12, 750 pounds of food from the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, nearly triple the amount collected from the year before.
  • Nearly 80 volunteers donated a total of 6,648 hours to support our programs.

We are grateful to all who helped make this possible: our amazing staff, incredible community partners and dedicated volunteers.

Read more stories of impact in our 2025 Annual Report.

Partnering with Bridge Street Market, Meijer and Simply Give

Since Bridge Street Market opened its doors in 2018, we have been honored to partner with the organization in a variety of ways, including as its Simply Give food pantry recipient. Earlier this year, the Market took the time to interview our Executive Director Scott Bloem.
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Since Bridge Street Market opened its doors in 2018, we have been honored to partner with the organization in a variety of ways, including as its Simply Give food pantry recipient. Earlier this year, the Market took the time to interview our Executive Director Scott Bloem.

Since Bridge Street Market opened its doors in 2018, we have been honored to partner with the organization in a variety of ways, including as its Simply Give food pantry recipient. Earlier this year, the Market took the time to interview our Executive Director Scott Bloem for a new blog on its website that traces the roots of that partnership and dives deeply into our history, philosophy, programs and services. 

Donating is simple: Meijer shoppers scan a Simply Give donation card when they check out at Bridge Street Market, 405 Seward Ave. NW. On select Saturdays throughout the year, Meijer will even double match that donation to further the impact. The donation is given to The Other Way to benefit our community food pantry so our Westside neighbors have access to fresh produce, meat, dairy, pantry staples and household essentials.

But our partnership doesn’t end there. Bridge Street Market is one of the sites for our Youth Employment Services, or YES program, which offers paid internships to teens at various companies. As the blog notes, the goal is “to offer teens not just their first job, but the skills and confidence to get their second one, too!”

We’re grateful to Bridge Street Market, Meijer and Simply Give for their support of our work on Westside!

Since Bridge Street Market opened its doors in 2018, we have been honored to partner with the organization in a variety of ways, including as its Simply Give food pantry recipient. Earlier this year, the Market took the time to interview our Executive Director Scott Bloem for a new blog on its website that traces the roots of that partnership and dives deeply into our history, philosophy, programs and services. 

Donating is simple: Meijer shoppers scan a Simply Give donation card when they check out at Bridge Street Market, 405 Seward Ave. NW. On select Saturdays throughout the year, Meijer will even double match that donation to further the impact. The donation is given to The Other Way to benefit our community food pantry so our Westside neighbors have access to fresh produce, meat, dairy, pantry staples and household essentials.

But our partnership doesn’t end there. Bridge Street Market is one of the sites for our Youth Employment Services, or YES program, which offers paid internships to teens at various companies. As the blog notes, the goal is “to offer teens not just their first job, but the skills and confidence to get their second one, too!”

We’re grateful to Bridge Street Market, Meijer and Simply Give for their support of our work on Westside!

Our Westside Stories Spring Newsletter shares updates about our programs and highlights from recent events. The new spring edition features a moving testimonial from a food pantry participant, information about our pantry’s food delivery offerings, a recap of the successful events like the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and America 250/JustServe and much more!