Wisconsin Union: Thanksgiving To Go Returns With Multiple Menu Options, Traditional Favorites

Nov. 6, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Wisconsin Union
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu

THANKSGIVING TO GO RETURNS WITH MULTIPLE MENU OPTIONS, TRADITIONAL FAVORITES

Wisconsin Union to offer affordable, gourmet, pick-up Thanksgiving meals

MADISON — The Wisconsin Union team has made affordable, gourmet Thanksgiving To Go meals available for purchase this year, with ordering available now through Nov. 20 and pick-up on Nov. 25.

This year’s menu options include bourbon roasted turkey; gingersnap mustard glazed ham; sage stuffing; mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows; housemade cranberry orange relish; and pumpkin, pecan or fudge bottom pie. Customers can purchase these items à la carte or as a personal-size or family-size meal.

Customers can also order à la carte items or a personal-size meal from a vegetarian menu that includes creamy butternut squash lasagna; herbed green beans; buttered, dill rainbow carrots; housemade cranberry orange relish; a fresh dinner roll with butter; and a slice of pumpkin, pecan or fudge bottom pie.

The Wisconsin Union team will provide the meals cooked, chilled and packed in reheatable containers. The multiple course individual-size meal starts at $14 per person, and the family-size meal starts at $145 for a family of six. The Wisconsin Union is offering University of Wisconsin-Madison students that purchase with a Wiscard a discounted individual-size meal for $10.

This year, the Wisconsin Union team in partnership with the Dean of Students Office will provide UW-Madison students in need with a free individual-size meal. Customers can add a donation to their orders at checkout to help provide a meal to a student in need. Students in need of a free meal can complete the meal request form here.

This year presented unique challenges with modified operations in light of COVID-19, but the Wisconsin Union team worked together to make Thanksgiving To Go, a years-long tradition of the Wisconsin Union, possible.

“Thanksgiving To Go takes so much stress out of Thanksgiving,” said Carl Korz, associate director of dining and hospitality at the Wisconsin Union. “Instead of spending hours planning and cooking, with Thanksgiving To Go, customers can have a gourmet, affordable meal that helps them maximize time with the people they care about. We also want to ensure those students that need to stay on campus during November break have a delicious, cost effective meal option.”

Customers can pick up their Thanksgiving To Go orders on Nov. 25 in Tripp Commons in Memorial Union or curbside at the west entrance to Memorial Union on North Park Street. While ordering, customers will select a 30-minute period during which they will pick up their orders.

Customers must wear a mask or another form of face covering for curbside and in-person pick-up, and those students that order with a Wiscard must bring their Wiscards to pay for the meal on-site.

Those interested in learning more or ordering Thanksgiving To Go may visit union.wisc.edu/thanksgiving.

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About the Wisconsin Union

The Wisconsin Union enhances the lives of members and visitors through recreational, cultural, educational and social opportunities. Formed in 1907, the Wisconsin Union is a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more about the Union and its tradition of providing experiences for a lifetime: union.wisc.edu.

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/about/news/thanksgiving-2020.

Suttle-Straus Announces Webinar on Converting Website Visitors Into Leads

Suttle-Straus, a commercial printing and marketing services provider in Waunakee, is hosting a complimentary webinar titled “Convert Website Visitors Into Leads and Revenue.”

Did you know you can create a list of leads from your website WITHOUT having visitors complete a single form field?

According to Google Analytics, 96% of the people visiting your website leave without taking any action. If all of your marketing channels are driving traffic to your website but only convert 4% of the visitors, how can you find out who these visitors are and send them relevant offers quickly?

In this webinar you can learn how to grab anonymous website visitors, retarget them with direct mail, and return them to convert on abandoned shopping carts, non-profit donation campaigns, or repeat loyalty purchases.

This webinar will cover:

• How to capture visitors to your website and get their address, without the use of a single form
• How you can use time, date and pages visited by the individual to create an urgent call to action
• What retargeted direct mail is
• How retargeted direct mail can help increase average order size, decrease abandoned shopping carts and drive a 9-18% response rate

Convert Your Website Visitors Into Leads and Revenue
Speaker: The Suttle-Straus Direct Mail Team
Date/Time: November 12, 2020 Noon Central Time
Cost: Complimentary
Register here: https://www.suttle-straus.com/getleads

About Suttle-Straus (www.suttle-straus.com)
Suttle-Straus provides comprehensive marketing solutions including creative design, mailing, fulfillment, distribution, displays, signage, promotional products, conventional and digital printing. Our S4 Marketing Resource Center print-on-demand technology advances the execution speed of local marketing for distributed networks. Through long-term, collaborative client partnerships, Suttle-Straus delivers marketing solutions that help our customers win.

Virtual 2nd Black Arts Matter Festival Will Raise Up Black Voices and Art Around the Country

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 26, 2020

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Communications Director
Phone: (608) 262-8862
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu

VIRTUAL 2ND BLACK ARTS MATTER FESTIVAL WILL RAISE UP BLACK VOICES AND ART AROUND THE COUNTRY

MADISON – The Black Arts Matter (BAM) Festival will return to raise up Black voices and art virtually Nov. 5, 12 and 19 with three events curated and co-produced by interdisciplinary artist, slam poet and UW-Madison alumna Shasparay Irvin ‘20 and the Wisconsin Union Theater.

During the first event on Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. CDT, spoken word and performance artist Ebony Stewart will perform her critically acclaimed one-woman show, called “Ocean.” The award-winning play includes themes of maternal love, motherhood and womanhood. Stewart will take part in a live question-and-answer session immediately following her performance.

Then, on Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. CDT, saxophonist and singer Braxton Cook will perform a live concert, participate in a Q&A, and hold a workshop about looping, which is a short segment of music played seamlessly on repeat. Some may refer to Cook’s music as jazz, but his sound has also been heralded as all its own, combining jazz, soul, R&B, and alternative music.

The Festival will continue on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. CDT with a poetry slam during which eight artists from around the country will compete for cash prizes and the honor of being named the winner of the 2nd Annual Black Arts Matter Festival poetry slam.

Irvin created the Black Arts Matter Festival as a UW-Madison student and debuted the first Festival in March 2019 to hundreds of attendees. She founded the BAM Festival with the mission of building a community around Black artistry by uplifting Black art and Black voices in white-dominated spaces. The idea arose as she observed a lack of diversity in Madison area arts performances.

“I decided to create this festival to prioritize Black voices in a predominantly white space, especially a white-centric arts space,” Irvin said.

The Wisconsin Union Theater joins Irvin in the planning and implementing of this year’s festival in a collaborative effort to raise up Black voices around the country.

“I have such high respect for Shasparay who, when she saw a need for something, created it herself. When I learned about her work in 2019, I knew immediately that I wanted to find a way to support her artistry and her vision even before joining the Wisconsin Union Theater,” Wisconsin Union Theater Director Elizabeth Snodgrass said. “I’m thrilled to be working with her on the Festival, because it is so aligned with the Theater’s programming goals. We are working to create space for what has been too often absent on stages, including Black art.”

The team aims for all of its spaces, including online ones, to be accessible. Those that need accommodations can reach out to the Wisconsin Union Theater team at wisconsinuniontheater@union.wisc.edu.

The Wisconsin Union Theater has provided a variety of arts events, from music to dance to plays in its more than 75 years on the UW-Madison campus. The student organization, called the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee participates in the planning of many Theater events, including the BAM Festival.

Presenting programming like the BAM Festival reflects part of a lived promise by the Wisconsin Union Theater to take action in standing against racial inequities and in decentering whiteness. For a full statement on the Theater’s stance and efforts, click here.

This series is made possible with financial support from Dane Arts, the Wisconsin Arts Board, the Joel Skornica Fund, the Frautschi Fund, and the Hodgin Fund as well as in-kind support from The Capital City Hues.

For more information about the Festival and to sign-up to receive Festival updates, click here. 

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About the Wisconsin Union Theater

For more than 75 years, the Wisconsin Union Theater has served as a center for cultural activity in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The Theater hosts performances in multiple locations, including Memorial Union, and has an expansive history of remarkable performances. The Wisconsin Union Theater is part of the Wisconsin Union, a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more about the Theater: union.wisc.edu/visit/wisconsin-union-theater.

About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee plans and promotes events for the historic Wisconsin Union Theater stages. The student-led committee programs a variety of events to provide a diverse and cultural experience for students, faculty, alumni, community members and visitors. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/get-involved/wud/performing-arts.

To read this release online, visit union.wisc.edu/black-arts-matter.

Goodman Center sees record demand for Thanksgiving Baskets

Contact:
Amie Hoag, Asst. Dir. of Communications
Goodman Community Center
149 Waubesa Street | Madison, WI 53704
920-737-2445 | amie@goodmancenter.org 

Goodman Center sees record demand for Thanksgiving Baskets
The Center was forced to close registration two days early 

Madison, WI  Nov. 2, 2020 – The Goodman Community Center has closed registration for its Thanksgiving Baskets two days early, due to higher-than-ever demand. GCC plans to provide 4,000 families with all the fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, and those registration spots have all been filled. 

“This is bittersweet, really. On the one hand, we’re glad so many people knew about the program and see Goodman as a place they can rely on for help,” said Francesca Frisque, GCC Food Pantry Coordinator. “On the other hand, we worry about the people who weren’t able to register because we had to close. This is an exceptionally hard year for so many, and we truly wish we could provide every family who needs it with a full Thanksgiving meal.” 

As it is, the Center will work hard to provide the 4,000 people who registered with a meal, and they’ll need the help of the community to make that happen. “Achieving our goal feels more important this year than any other,” said Frisque. 

The Goodman Center recommends that community members who would like to help by donating food start gathering items now so that by the time donations are open, they will have a bag or two to drop off. Those who are interested can also host a food drive at their work, place of worship, club or neighborhood. A downloadable kit with tips, posters and shopping lists can be found at goodmancenter.org/thanksgiving. 

For those interested in making a financial contribution, the Center has created a virtual fundraiser kit, also available at goodmancenter.org/thanksgiving. Or, individuals can make financial donations at goodmancenter.org/donate. 

“We’ve got a big task in front of us,” said Frisque, “but we’ve seen our community come together to help their neighbors year after year. We’re confident we’ll be able to provide a little comfort to 4,000 Dane County families this Thanksgiving, and we’re so thankful for everyone who has already stepped up and who will step up to help.” 

For anyone who tried to register but could not, the Center will hand out left-over full and partial baskets, as well as turkeys on Tuesday, Nov. 24, starting at 10am. No appointment is necessary, and food will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until the Center runs out. 

About the Goodman Community Center 

The Goodman Community Center is the largest community center in Dane County. The center offers many programs to strengthen the lives of preschoolers through teens, meals and social activities for older adults, a food pantry, a gymnasium and fitness center, catering services and community space. For more information about the Center, visit goodmancenter.org. 

Find Goodman Community Center on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

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First-day Thanksgiving Baskets registrations at Goodman Center break all previous records

More than 2,200 families registered for GCC’s Thanksgiving Baskets 

Madison, WI Oct. 13, 2020 – On Monday, Oct. 12, the Goodman Community Center opened registration for its annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive, and 2,216 families and individuals have signed up to receive a basket. This is nearly 1,000 more registrants than the same time last year.  

“We’ve seen unprecedented levels of demand in our food pantry since the coronavirus hit Wisconsin, so this outpouring of requests early on in the registration process isn’t surprising,” said Francesca Frisque, Goodman Center Food Pantry Coordinator. “Obviously, we wish people didn’t have to worry about where their holiday meal will come from, but we’re also glad that we can be a reliable source of help.” 

For the last 32 years, the Goodman Center has provided Dane County families with everything they need to prepare a Thanksgiving meal at home, and this year, the Center has set a goal of serving 4,000 families.  

The registration period is scheduled to run through Oct. 23, but GCC may be forced to close registration early. This record setting pace has the Goodman Community Center concerned about its capacity to reach everyone and about the state of hunger in our community. 

As in previous years, the Goodman Center has partnered with MMSD social workers to identify families in highest need and ensure they get registered for a basket. The Center has also made the registration process easy, creating a simple online form that is available in three languages: English, Spanish and Hmong. 

Many people still call in to register by phone. “Our registration line was ringing off the hook yesterday, and we expect that to continue,” said Frisque. “We’re so thankful for the volunteers who are willing to help field the calls and answer questions. We’re lucky to have the most supportive community around.” 

The Goodman Community Center is seeking community support by way of food donations, financial contributions and volunteers. It will take a village to provide 4,000 Dane County families with a Thanksgiving feast. People who are interested in helping can learn more at goodmancenter.org/thanksgiving. 

How to register for a basket: 

Registration is open to Dane County residents from Monday, Oct. 12, through Friday, Oct. 23. 

• Register online: goodmancenter.org/thanksgiving 
• Register by phone: 608-204-8018, Mon. – Fri., 12:30 – 6pm.  

How to help: 

• Host a food drive (in person or virtual): We have photos, posters, grocery lists and helpful tips to make your drive successful. Downloadable files are available on our website: goodmancenter.org/thanksgiving. 
• Make a financial gift: Funds raised are used to purchase turkeys, perishable items and items needed to completely fill baskets. Donate online at goodmancenter.org/donate 
• Volunteer your time: Many volunteers are needed to make this event a success. Contact GCC Volunteer Manager Mai Lor Yang for more information: mailor@goodmandenter.org or 608-204-8056. 

About the Goodman Community Center 

The Goodman Community Center is the largest community center in Dane County. The center offers many programs to strengthen the lives of preschoolers through teens, meals and social activities for older adults, a food pantry, a gymnasium and fitness center, catering services and community space. For more information about the Center, visit goodmancenter.org. 

Find Goodman Community Center on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

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