One could argue that a common theme in Milwaukee this year was community support.
Neighbors stepped up to help each other when they were called upon.
Whether during the extreme flooding in August, or when FoodShare benefits were suspended.
We're reflecting on three stories of the community coming together in 2025.
A Black-owned gas station's call for support
The BP gas station at 807 West Atkinson Avenue in the Arlington Heights neighborhood has a history of Black ownership dating back to the 1990s.
Current owners Marvin and Sonia Nash bought it in November of 2023.
They put their own money into it and soon felt the pressure of what that meant. Sales volume was low, and their competitors had more vehicles at the pumps.
In January, Marvin made the vulnerable decision to make a plea to the Milwaukee community via social media.
The message included that the gas station couldn’t be successful without the community’s help. He ran it by his wife and daughter first.
"My wife said it was great. My daughter Marquita said, 'Hey, let’s send it now,'" Marvin said. "I said wait a minute, hold on ‘cause I’m still a little scared. My daughter’s like, 'No, we’re going to send it.' She tweaked it a little bit. Sent it out probably about 7:32 a.m. And at 9:00 a.m. the gas station was crowded."
Marvin said after the post, the gas station was busy from open to close.
He says he and and his wife are grateful to everyone for their support.
Gathering to pray for youth affected by violence
In August, 18-year-old Zoe Chambers was inspired to bring the community together for something positive in response to news stories about youth victims of violence.
The shooting death of 4-year-old Ralph M. Taylor and the abduction of 7-year-old Jamal White revealed to her what her next move should be.
She hosted an event called “Youth Pray Over Youth” in Sherman Park.
“I feel like also youth are neglected so much and that's also another reason why I wanted to do the event and made sure that there was a spotlight from the news because we're often highlighting so many of the negative things," Chambers said. "I was like no, you guys need to be at a positive event, the youth need to see a positive event on the news. The adults need to see a positive event on the youth because they're often like, 'Oh my gosh! The youth! They're doing this, this and that.' And often not asking like, 'How can we help you?'”
Chambers said people providing food, assisting with setup, joining prayer and even just being there, showed her that the community recognized the need this event filled.
Grocery store carpool after Pick 'n Save closure
Finally, when Kroger closed five Pick 'n Save locations in Milwaukee County this summer, one of them was in Metcalfe Park, a predominantly Black neighborhood.
The Pick ‘n Save closure abruptly cut off convenient access to fresh food in the neighborhood; a move that especially harmed the elderly in the area.
So, a group of Black women who live in the neighborhood started a carpool to grocery shop, and I joined them on their first trip to Aldi in Miller Park.
Here’s what Patricia Gransberry and Latisha Bully-White said about the decision to carpool.
"A lot of these people in the Wesley Scott Senior Building, they walked to Pick 'n Save with their carts," Gransberry said. "Can't walk to no store now. It's too far.”
Bully-Wite said, “This the first time we trying to see how it go with our community on helping each other."
And Gransberry added, “Gas is not cheap so we gotta pile up, sit on laps maybe and go get some groceries together.”
While I followed Gransberry as she shopped, she said she wished the city did more in response to the Pick 'n Save closure.
"Truthfully, I don’t think they really care and that’s my opinion," she said. "I think they should step up and do more to try to find a solution. Instead, we have the community doing the majority of the work trying to find a solution.”
I asked if she thought the community should be spearheading solutions.
“I don’t think we should have to do it, but our hearts is leading us to do it,” Gransberry said.
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, a resident-led non-profit, continues to spearhead mutual aid efforts to feed its neighbors.
Since then, its work has led to a network of community-powered fridges, where people can give or take food items for free. One is already open at Tricklebee Cafe in Sherman Park. Several more are planned.
Metcalfe Park has also opened the Peoples’ Pantry, a food distribution initiative. It gets funding from Milwaukee County.
Those are just a few examples of the community of Milwaukee looking out for its people.
