Our Programs
Emergency Assistance
Emergency financial assistance is given based on the need for a month of rent, car issues, utility payment or other necessary payments needed that could cause eviction and a family to be homeless. We work closely with organizations such as Leaven Fox Cities, FISC and Goodwill who also give assistance to individuals within our community needing a helping hand.
Back to School Fair
NMES members collaborative with both the Neenah and Menasha school districts to reach out to children in need. Children are identified by schools, social service agencies and other sources. All of these children qualify for the free lunch program at their schools.
The Fair is held in August of each year. At that time, each child receives a backpack containing supplies and a certificate for a pair of shoes redeemable at Rogan’s. They also receive information about the services offered by other community organizations such as YMCA, Neenah and Menasha public libraries, Boys and Girls Brigade, Best Friends of Neenah-Menasha, LEAVEN, Community Clothes Closet, St. Vincent DePaul thrift shop and Goodwill.
Caring for Kids
For most elementary school students residing in Neenah and Menasha, lunch periods and recesses during winter months involve building forts and playing in the snow. Unfortunately, that is not the case for all students. For students who do not own a pair of snow pants, recesses are often spent standing on the blacktop so his or her clothing does not get wet.
This program provides warm outdoor clothing or boots to elementary school students who do not have their own.
Students are referred to the program by their school principals, teachers or counselors. These school officials provide NMES with the clothing size of the child in need. When NMES receives a request, the item is delivered to the school and the school official delivers the snow pants to the student.
Meals-On-Wheels
The Meals on Wheels program was inaugurated in 1966 by members of the Neenah-Menasha Emergency Society and the Neenah-Menasha Visiting Nurse Association with the goal of providing hot, nutritious, and diet-specific meals to the elderly and the home bound members of our community. Initially the program had one volunteer team delivering six meals from Theda Clark Hospital’s dietary department to the clients’ homes. The demand for this program has expanded to five routes per weekday with a maximum of 12 meals per route.
NMES collaborates with Valley VNA Senior Care to operate the program. NMES prepares and coordinates route maps, drivers’ schedules, and driver training; the Valley VNA receives the request for the service, billing, and driver notification; and ThedaCare-Neenah prepares the diet-specific meals and packs them in large tote bags for the drivers.
This is the only in-home meal service in the community that will provide for specific dietary restrictions such as low sodium and low fat. Each meal includes both a hot and cold portion as well as a beverage.
Meals are delivered between 11:00 and 12:00 to the home of each client. The cost of the meal is paid by the client but the delivery is done by the more than 150 monthly community volunteers.
The cost of the meals are kept low so they are affordable. Fundraising by both organizations helps to off set the cost.
Community Table
Started in 1999, the Fox Valley Community Table has been providing a free lunch two days per week to anyone in need. Food is prepared and served by a variety of service organizations in the Neenah-Menasha area.
NMES participates in this community wide effort to help feed those who cannot afford food. Several times a year members of Neenah-Menasha Emergency Society donate, prepare, and serve these meals which are free of charge to those who attend. The meals are served at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Neenah.
