UpStart Kitchen Serves Up Hope in Milwaukee Neighborhood

After the 2016 civil disturbances in the Sherman Park neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wis., Parklawn Assembly of God Church made it a priority to foster communication with state and local officials and host community listening sessions.

Church leaders and Bishop Walter Harvey, Parklawn’s senior pastor at the time, saw firsthand the community’s frustration with high unemployment rates among Black males and a lack of livable wage job opportunities. They saw would-be entrepreneurs with big dreams lacking the resources, networking opportunities, and support systems necessary for getting a business off the ground.

Out of those conversations, PRISM Economic Development Corporation (EDC) was born, with UpStart Kitchen as its project. We Raise Foundation was there from the start, providing a $50,000 GrantsPlus grant in 2018.