MONROE — During a year that has been trying for many, Monroe brothers Bryce and Mitch Grossen brought smiles to the faces at Green Cares Food Pantry through their donations of “Mitch’s Hog Heaven Pork Activity Kits” and “Bryce’s Golden Yolks” egg and chicken cookbook.
The pair decided to take on the projects as a way to give back to their community during a hard time.
“With it being a rougher year, we thought we’d do something for people to get their minds off of it,” Mitch said.
The activity kits and books were inspired by the brothers’ own work on their family farm. Mitch, a senior at Monroe, raises pigs on the farm and Bryce, a sophomore, works heavily with the chickens.
The activity kits and the cook books pair well together, the brothers said, because the kits can be something for children to enjoy while the cookbooks are something for the adults.
Bryce decided on making the chicken and egg cookbook because it allows people to stay at home and cook rather than having to go out, especially during the pandemic.
“I was thinking of instead of something they’ve done all the time, maybe they can do something new,” Bryce said. “Everybody is not going out to eat right now because of COVID. I was thinking about doing the recipe book so they can make new food with eggs and chicken.”
Jeanie Blumer, Board of Directors Chairperson of the Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program, which runs the food pantry, has worked with the brothers in the past and said that their donations have not gone unnoticed, by either the volunteers or the patrons themselves. Instead, they have gone to show the power that a kind gesture can have.
“This year has been such a downer with everything that’s happened,” Blumer said. “I think right now, this is a good reminder for all of us that giving hope, giving time, is so important.”
Though the recent donation of the activity and cook books was the boys’ first time taking on such a project, they are no strangers to helping out the food pantry.
In 2018, Mitch, now 18, decided to raise one of his pigs to donate, a generous offer that provided the pantry with 512 servings and fed more than 200 families. It provided many families with food, but the boys decided that they wanted to do even more.
Since then, the brothers have continued working with Blumer at the food pantry with Bryce donating “countless dozens of eggs,” Blumer said.
Spirit of giving
What makes the duo’s donations so unique, Blumer said, isn’t only their young ages but also the personal touch of their gifts.
The food that they donate is cultivated with hours of hard work, with mornings starting at 4:30 to tend to the farm. Though each of the brothers also have the opportunity to sell their product, they decide to donate it instead.
“Obviously the food is wonderful and much appreciated, but there’s something more powerful here, and it’s the fact that someone cares,” Blumer said.
What drives the two to put such an emphasis on donating and helping others has been their involvement with groups such as FFA and 4-H.
“Debbie Meyers, our 4-H leader from a couple years ago, she was always telling us to give back to the community and help people in need,” Mitch said. “And my FFA advisor, Danielle Pernot, they’re always stressing giving back to the community so we decided to start doing that.”
