The Saukville Community Food Pantry

The Saukville Community Food Pantry is a non-profit organization providing warm meals, groceries, school supplies and support to families in need in Ozaukee County. The number of families served has grown tremendously since we opened our doors in 2012. In the first month of operation, the pantry helped 23 families. Today, we serve over 400 families a month and help over 750 families a year. Saukville Community Food Pantry has created a shopping experience for our families to allow them to choose the foods that work best for their family and any dietary needs they may have. Outside of the needs of the pantry we provide a free meal site, holiday meal boxes, mobile food pantries, a Back 2 School Fair and a Back Pack Fridays Program in the Port Washington / Saukville School District.

Bio:

Mark Gierach, the Executive Director and Founder of the Pantry, was born and raised in the City of Mequon, and moved to Grafton just before his junior year in high school. After graduating from Grafton High, he attended MATC in Milwaukee for Police Science and began working for the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Department in 1974. He retired at the rank of Sergeant in 2004. He worked for Business International Network (BNI) from 2005 to 2015 and operated his own promotional products business. Mark started the Saukville Community Food Pantry in 2011 and became its Executive Director in 2012. He currently lives in the town of Farmington with his wife, Nancy, who also gives much time to help run the Pantry and the Community Meal Site hosted by the Pantry. They are both active at Parkside Community U.C.C. in Saukville and enjoy time with their extended families and friends.

• Married to Nancy, we each have three children from previous marriages, 12 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
• Born and raised in Mequon till I was 15 and family then moved to Grafton.
• Graduated from Grafton High School, attended MATC for Police Science and started working at the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office in 1974.
• Retired in 2004 at the rank of Sgt.  
• From 2000 to 2005 I attended Lay ministry training in DeForest WI with the United Church of Christ and worked as the Youth Minister at St. Peter's UCC in Saukville WI until 2015 on a part time basis.
• Started my own Promotional Products business in 2002 and sold my customer list to another business in 2011 when it became apparent I either needed to hire staff or cut the number of customers I had been working with.
• The Food Pantry began to be formed in 2010 when I was approached by a group of people we worked with at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Saukville that had a small food pantry in the basement of the rectory and our church had worked with them on several projects.  Their group were all in their late 70's and 80's and asked if we would continue the work they had started.  From there we created a separate 501c3 organization and the journey continues today and into the future.