Every year the Midwest Alternative Medicine Clinic (MAMC), an acupuncture and Chinese medicine-based holistic medical clinic based in Greenfield, participates in the Hunger Task Force fall food drive event. Normally, the employees set out a collection bin and encourage their customers to donate.
This year, however, Lawrence Piloczewski, the clinic's relations coordinator, recognized that more people are in more need than ever thanks to hard economic times and skyrocketing unemployment rates and decided to go big.
"At a typical food drive, people come in to donate an item and leave. What we wanted to do was host an entire Chinese cultural event," he says of the Saturday, Nov. 7 festivities, which run 3 to 7:30 p.m.
It doesn't cost any money to get in, but MAMC asks people to bring two or more non-perishable food items to the New Berlin Community Center, 14750 W. Cleveland Ave., for Hunger Task Force's Great Wall Food Drive.
Guests will be greeted by the smell of traditional Chinese food dishes. At 4 p.m. and again at 5: 30 p.m. volunteers will take to the kitchen to demonstrate and teach participants how to prepare authentic items, such as Chinese dumplings and Chinese moon cake. The best part? Everyone is invited to indulge in the feast when it's finished. There will also be other Chinese and American snacks and beverages available throughout the event.
But this day is about more than an exchange of food.
"We want to give people the opportunity to increase their health and quality of life through our events," says Piloczewski. He and his team are ready to delve into Chinese history and customs through various workshops on important aspects of Chinese life like calligraphy, which is practiced often and highly revered throughout China and other eastern Asian countries.
"And since we're a Chinese medicine-based clinic, I'll be talking about how acupuncture and Chinese medicine work and explaining how important it is to the culture," says Piloczewski, a student at the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine who is earning his master's degree in traditional Chinese medicine.
Wellness, he explains, is deeply integrated into the Chinese way of life. People get up and do yoga and Tai Chi at 5:30 a.m. -- it's just a normal and regular part of their day. It's also an important part of their preventative action against illness.
"Unlike here, where we typically ignore something until it becomes a disaster."
On that note, guests will have the opportunity to speak with Clinical Director Dr. Chuan Liu about their health concerns. Liu grew up in China and received his Ph.D. in medicine from Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. He's been practicing for 15 years, specializing in pain management and acupuncture. While they're waiting for a chat withLui, people can find relief in the various massage chair, where specialists offer massages for $1 per minute.
And if you have kids, bring them along. The MAMC is ready to introduce the young ones to traditional Chinese children's games and celebrate movement. It's a family-friendly day that celebrates family wellness and promotes health through education and full bellies.
"Out initial goal was to collect 500 pounds of food this year," says Piloczewski. "But we're hoping to just raise as much as possible and have as big of an impact as we can top help the Hunger Task Force reach its goal."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
