Welcome to the Edgerton Outreach Services Page

Edgerton Community Outreach provides a multitude

of services to those in need. We provide a food pantry, emergency rent payment assistance, utility bill payment assistance, emergency lodging, assistance with medical needs, transitional living, community meals, a Christmas giving tree and much more.

 

The Food Pantry at Edgerton Community Outreach

provides a two week supply of nutritious food to low income families in the Edgerton School District. People are able to utilize the food pantry once a month. If a family is facing extreme need or hardship they are able to visit the food pantry more than once a month. Persons that have limited access to an adequate food supply for all family members through normal channels (purchasing food from the store) are considered to be food insecure. ECO feels that no person should go hungry. The FP program strives to keep readily available food items that are nutritious. Not only are canned goods available to those who visit the FP but participants are also provided with milk, eggs, bread, and meat choices. It is important that families are able to make nutritious meals out of the food that they receive from the FP. ECO also provides each family with a voucher that can be used at the local grocery store to purchase additional meat, butter, and fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables.

 

Edgerton Community Outreach obtains our food pantry stock from many sources. Edgerton Outreach is a partner agency of Second Harvest of Dane County through which we purchase a variety of food items many costing our agency only 18cents per pound. We also partner with ECHO of Janesville to obtain donations from local food producers. In 2007 Edgerton Outreach received 750lbs of Campbell’s Chunky Soup as part of their ‘Click for Cans’ Promotion and the Green Bay Packer’s. We also received a very generous donation from Roundy’s Food Corporation in 2007 as part of their annual statewide food tour through which they give away food to numerous food pantries. We are also very fortunate to receive donations from individuals, churches, services groups, and many others that live in the Edgerton area.

 

Each year the Edgerton Outreach needs to search out new avenues to keep our shelves well stocked due to the steadily increasing numbers of request for food pantry assistance. In 2002 Edgerton Outreach served 35 families each month through our food pantry. During 2008 our food pantry has been serving a record 140 families each month.

 

In addition to serving families with basic food needs each month, Edgerton Outreach also provides families with holiday meal supplies for Easter and Christmas. Families are given the needed ingredients and recipes to cook a nutritious holiday meal. Donations of all kinds are needed for the food pantry. We are always in need of the following items: cream soups, peanut butter, and jelly, rice, boxed potatoes, canned fruit, tuna, and boxed dinners. Monetary donations are also appreciated to cover the cost of milk, food vouchers, and the expense of purchased food.

 

 

Edgerton Outreach offers a variety of financial assistance

programs under the umbrella of our Client Services Program:

 

 

Emergency Rent Payment Assistance:

Edgerton Outreach is able to provide a payment of $400 to the landlord of a qualify participant if the participant is homeless/at risk of homelessness or if they are facing hardship. Edgerton Outreach strives to keep people in their homes. Each year we assist over 50 families. Each year over 75% of the participants receiving assistance from us remain in permanent housing for at least 6 months after the assistance is given. Prior to 2005 Edgerton Outreach focused on only serving families that resided in the Edgerton school district. For the past three years we have worked to increase grant funding specifically for rent assistance and we have been able to extend our services into Milton and Evansville. Edgerton Outreach receives funding through FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), HUD Emergency Shelter Grant, the Department of Commerce Homeless Prevention Program Grant, United Way, and the Alliant Foundation to fund this program.

 

Utility Bill Payment Assistance:

Edgerton Outreach provides energy bill payment assistance to low-income families during the months of March –October annually. Many families are able to access assistance through Energy Services of Rock County for assistance with their heating costs once per heating season (November – April). For families living in poverty the bills during the heating season are much more than they can afford even with the assistance that they receive. Edgerton Outreach helps with bill payment so that the participant is able to work out a manageable payment arrangement with their service provider prior to disconnection in the spring. We are also able to assist with water bill payments for participants that are facing extreme hardship. Funding for this program is provided through grants from United Way, the Edgerton Fund, the Community Foundation of Southern WI, Thrift Store Revenue, and private donations.

 

Emergency Lodging:

Homelessness is a hidden problem in our community. The Edgerton area does not have a large number of persons sleeping on our street corners so many do not believe homelessness to be an issue. In 2008 Edgerton Outreach provided over 350 shelter nights to homeless individuals through our hotel voucher program. Persons that are homeless can qualify for up to two weeks of shelter from Edgerton Outreach. During the two week time span we work with House of Mercy, the main family homeless shelter in Rock County, to attempt to find families longer term lodging. Single men are referred to the G.I.F.T.S (God Is Faithful Temporary Shelter) in Janesville for longer term lodging.

 

Medical Needs:

Edgerton Outreach is able to assist low-income families with costs associated with medical needs. This program covers many types of needs. Some examples of services provided are; paying for medicines for persons without insurance, paying for a variety of medical co-pays, assisting with the costs associated with dental care for participants without insurance, school referrals for head lice treatments, and information assistance regarding programs available in Rock County.

 

Transitional Living:

In 2006 Edgerton Outreach received a donation of $100,000 to be used specifically for the purchase of a property for our Transitional Living Program. Our Lawton Street Home provides housing for two households that were formerly homeless. Participants in this program work closely with a case manager on a variety of life skills with the end goal of the participant being able to rent successfully when their term is completed at Lawton Home. Participants are eligible to live in the property owned by Edgerton Outreach for an initial 18 months. If monthly program benchmarks are met throughout the program than participants can continue in the program for an additional 6 months making their total program stay 24 months. Initially a participant may start off in the program with zero income but they are required to find a job within 30 days of entering the program if they are employable. Rent cost for the participants is based on income. Once income is established participants pay 30% towards their housing costs. The program is set-up to promote self-sufficiency. Participants work on enhancing employability skills by obtaining their GED or other skills training opportunities through the Rock County Job Center.

 

A second area of extreme importance for participants in the Transitional Living Program is budgeting. Often times people with decent incomes find themselves at risk of homelessness or eviction due to non-payment of rent even though they bring home a weekly paycheck. Edgerton Outreach works with participants to learn how to track expenses, realize where the money goes each week, and then learn to live on a budget. The case manager also assists the families at Lawton Street with accessing other resources in the community such as Food Share (Food Stamp) benefits, WIC, and other needed benefits. For persons exiting homelessness it is very hard to move forward without a safe and unchanging roof over their heads. Once a participant knows that they have a safe place for themselves and their children to live, then they are able to start looking forward to the future and hopefully a means of changing their lives forever.

 

Community Meals:

Edgerton Outreach serves two community meals annually; Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The meals are served at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Edgerton. Since 2003 the meals have been home cooked instead of catered in allowing us to greatly reduce the cost of each meal. For each meal over 200 meals are delivered to persons wishing to dine in the comfort of their own homes and an additional 50-120 meals are served at the meal site.

 

Christmas Giving Tree:

Edgerton Outreach partners with local churches and citizens to provide children of food pantry participants with a new clothing item for Christmas. Edgerton Outreach partners with Gifts for Kids, our local toy distribution program, to ensure that no child goes without a gift on Christmas.

 

Breakfast Club:

In 1996 Edgerton Outreach introduced its morning feeding program to the students at Edgerton Community Elementary School. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday volunteers serve cereal, fruit, and juice to over 100 students each morning. Many studies have shown that breakfast is a very important part of a child’s day. It is very difficult to pay attention and study if you are more concerned about the rumble in your tummy. Children do not have to pre-sign up to have breakfast in the morning and the program is open to any student at the Community Elementary School.

 

Funding Sources:

Edgerton Outreach is fortunate to receive funding from a variety of sources. Our largest source of funding is the Thrift Store. Through generous donations from local members of our community, we are able to turn gently used goods into a steady revenue source of over $80,000 each year. The Thrift Store features a $4.50 brown bag clothing sale which draws people from all over southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. The Thrift Store is volunteer staffed so all revenue raised in the Thrift Store 100% supports ECO programs.

 

Edgerton Outreach is a partner agency

of United Way of North Rock County. United Way specifically supports Edgerton Outreach;s Breakfast Club, Food Pantry, and Client Services Program. United Way has provided great guidance to Edgerton Outreach through our years of growth. In 2005, United Way of North Rock County awarded Edgerton Outreach the 2005 “Turn Around Agency” of the year for our hard work towards growth and sustainability.

 

Edgerton Outreach is also a Salvation Army

Extension Unit. Members of the community ring the bells for Salvation Army each November and December raising over $4000 each year which supports a variety of programs. Dollars raised in Edgerton are able to directly help those in need in Edgerton.

 

Accepted Donations:

Edgerton Outreach accepts donations of clothing and household items that are clean and are in good repair. We are also able to accept furniture donations. Please call ahead for large donations to ensure that there is adequate help to unload/lift.

Thrift Store

106 South Main Street

 

Hours:

Monday ---- 10am-4pm

Tuesday --- 10am-4pm

Wednesday -- 1pm-6pm

Thursday -- 10am-4pm

Friday ---- 10am-4pm

Saturday -- 10am-3pm