GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Another Christmas is behind us, but it’s not too late to help out people in need.
Local food pantries say the need for donations doesn’t stop just because Christmas is over.
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday cheer is plentiful, which means food pantries see a spike in donations to help struggling families.
Now, the season of giving is beginning to wind down.
“It’s important all year long, but typically we see a lull in donations at the beginning of the year and so there’s always the need is there,” Rooted In Inc. Founder & President Selena Darrow said.
Darrow said the period after Christmas and leading into spring is the toughest stretch of the year for food pantries such as the one she leads in Green Bay.
After Christmas, Darrow guesses food donations to pantries drop by hundreds of pounds.
“We spend a lot of money in December on gifts for family and friends and people are very generous around the holidays to charities that are close to their hearts. But when it comes to food access and food insecurity, people always need to eat,” Darrow said.
Darrow said the need continues to grow as numbers increased throughout 2025 and she expects numbers to increase even more in 2026.
This is partially because of changes in eligibility and restrictions to SNAP benefits coming in October 2026.
The biggest help right now for Rooted In, according to Darrow is financial donations.
While donations tend to drop after Christmas, Paul’s Pantry in Green Bay is still thriving as the community’s generosity doesn’t seem to slow down.
Paul’s Pantry saw so many donations leading up to Christmas, they’re still catching up on the work to shelve everything properly.
“We have to make sure that we kind of ration it and plan for the upcoming months. We want to spread it out as much as we can,” Paul’s Pantry Executive Director Craig Robbins said.
Robbins said the last three years have been record years in terms of community need.
It distributes more than 20,000 pounds of food a day, five days a week.
Whether it’s Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving, Paul’s Pantry is always open for donations no matter what the calendar says.
“We’re here year round and the need is year round. It doesn’t go away just because it’s the day after Christmas. The need is there year round,” Robbins said.
A good reminder that just because Christmas ends, it doesn’t mean donations have to.
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