Milwaukee, WI — This July, Bay View Community Center (BVCC) celebrates 45 years of service to Milwaukee families. From its beginnings as a neighborhood center, BVCC has grown into a vital hub serving the community through food access, parenting support, early childhood education, and wellness programming. BVCC is a 2025 BizTimes Nonprofit of the Year Award finalist in recognition for creativity and innovation in building a sustainable organization, excellence in teamwork, an outstanding dedication to the organization’s mission in the community, and organizational excellence in management and operations.
In 2024, BVCC’s Emergency Food Pantry served 13,648 individuals, over 60% of whom were children. Our newly renovated, choice-based model helps families access fresh, healthy food with dignity. In addition, our volunteer-operated community gardens yielded an average of 5,000 pounds of produce, while more than 140,000 pounds of food were distributed to families with help from Hunger Task Force and local donors.
At the South Shore Farmers Market, BVCC led the SNAP/EBT Token Exchange and Market Match programs which helped hundreds of low-income families double their food benefits, while boosting local vendor profits by 30%.
In the last three years alone, BVCC expanded into Milwaukee-area schools, delivering culturally responsive parenting education, housing navigation, and support. Its Family Resource Center (FRC) now reaches nearly 1,200 families annually, addressing diverse needs with trusted, community-rooted care.
Family Resource Centers work. Confirmed by the statewide Strong and Stable Families study, it found FRCs boost protective factors, improve mental health, and help prevent child abuse and neglect. Despite socioeconomic challenges, participating families reported strong bonds, emotional resilience, and a high level of satisfaction with services received.
Beyond families, BVCC also champions the essential work of early childhood educators. As a fiscal sponsor, BVCC supports approximately 60 licensed family childcare providers—many of whom operate in historically underserved communities. Through access to diapers, culturally competent training, and grant opportunities, BVCC helps these providers overcome barriers and funding gaps, ensuring their programs thrive and children receive the care they deserve.
BVCC’s commercial kitchen hosts food entrepreneurs, providing space and support to launch businesses and grow economic impact in the community. The space is ideal for cooking, baking, food preparation, production, and storage—meeting the needs of small-scale food business owners and startup entrepreneurs.
