Our Mission

Fuel for the Weekend provides elementary students in the Wausau and DC Everest School Districts areas with consistent access to nutritious food when school is not in session.

Each weekend, children receive meal bags, so they return to school on Monday nourished and ready to learn.

How It Started

In 2011, a Weston Elementary parent learned that a teacher was personally buying food for students who had little to eat at home on weekends. She gathered friends to help, and together they filled food bags for one classroom. As teachers identified more students in need, the program quickly expanded.

Within weeks, 40 children at one school were receiving weekend food bags. In three short years, the program expanded to serve all eligible children in DC Everest and Wausau Public Schools as well as area parochial schools.

Our Impact

• 1,400 students served weekly
• More than 50,000 food bags distributed during the 2025–2026 school year
•More than 200,000+ meals provided during the 2025-2026 school year

Powered by Volunteers

Fuel for the Weekend is run entirely by volunteers—there are no paid staff. Volunteers manage fundraising, food purchasing, packing, and distribution to schools.

The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin provides administrative support and ensures nonprofit compliance.

Volunteer Activities and Program Funding

Food Packing and Distribution Support For Food Operations

• Volunteers contribute to the smooth operation of the food program by handling various tasks throughout the school year.
• They assist in ordering food, help with receiving deliveries at the warehouse, unpack boxes, and fill over 1,400 bags of food that are distributed to students.

These activities are essential to maintaining the program’s effectiveness.

Fundraising and Community Engagement

In addition to supporting food operations, volunteers are crucial to funding the program.

• They participate in events, help plan fundraisers, write grants, and manage mailings and emails.
• Volunteers also engage with the community by reaching out to businesses, speaking at organizational meetings, and serving as ambassadors for the program.

Each year, approximately $250,000 must be raised to sustain these efforts.