The Mission of the Bay View Community Center is to provide programs and services to: Develop the individual, provide support, and strengthen families.

Developing the Individual

The Bay View Community Center has programs for people of all ages, from infants to seniors. We present enrichment programs for adults in several categories: Health and Wellness, Arts and Crafts, Food and Nutrition, Life Skills, Recreation/Fitness, and Trips.

Specialized programs for seniors aim to increase socialization and connection to the community while providing experiences for learning and for fun.

Clubs, classes, one-on-one tutoring, and half day summer camps are provided for children ages 7-12. In addition, the Center charters Boy Scout Troup 481.

Click on any of the headline bars to see a complete list of the many programs the Bay View Community Center offers: Just for Kids, Family and Parent Support, Arts and Crafts, Food and Nutrition, Life Skills, Recreation/Fitness/Sports, 50 + Programs, and Trips and Tours.

Providing Support

We provide support to individuals and families through support groups like the Emergency Food and Infant Formula Pantry and the Holiday Toy and Gift Distribution. The Center’s Food Pantry is recognized for its management and organization. The Hunger Task force uses our pantry as a model.

Annually the Center Serves over 700 children who receive gifts through our Holiday Gift programs, while hundreds of homebound seniors are delivered a box of homemade Christmas cookies. Many families also receive "baskets" to help them celebrate Thanksgiving.

Providing support is not just a holiday issue; throughout last year over 2500 people received emergency food from our Emergency Food Pantry. The Center also offers a variety of support groups to help individuals with special needs, and has a strong network of support through its extensive referral system.

Strengthening Families

Family activities, parent/child interactive programs, parent education workshops, and parenting support groups are all offered as a part of the Center’s drive to strengthen families. The desired outcomes of such programs are to increase parenting skills as well as confidence and enjoyment in parenting, to increase family communication, and to decrease stress while enhancing the capacity of parents to foster optimal development of their children.

Last year over 250 families participated in the Center’s many family activities and classes. The Bay View Community Center’s Food Pantry also helps strengthen families by relieving the stress that can come with economic issues.

Food Pantry


The Emergency Food and Infant Formula Pantry serves individuals and families who meet financial guidelines and live in the following zip codes: 53207, 53221, 53235, and the portion of 53215 south of Becher Street and east of 38th Street.

The Food Pantry is open Wednesday and Friday from 2:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. and Tuesday from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

In order to use the pantry you must bring the following:

• A valid picture ID
• Proof of residency (examples include a utility bill or piece of official government mail) Proof of residency must be current.
• Social security card or birth certificate for each additional member of the household

If you have any questions, please call the Bay View Community Center at (414) 482-1000 for further information.