Herman Gundlach Donor Advised Fund Awards More Than $60,000 in 2025 

The Keweenaw Community Foundation is pleased to announce that the Herman Gundlach Donor Advised Fund awarded more than $60,000 to 36 nonprofits in 2025. A significant portion of this support focused on addressing food insecurity across the region. A total of $41,240 in donations was made to local food banks throughout the year. In response to the pause in federal SNAP benefits, three additional food banks also received support in 2025. These generous gifts reflect the fund advisors’ continued commitment to meeting urgent community needs and supporting neighbors during challenging times. 

The Herman Gundlach Donor Advised Fund is managed by Herman “Winks” Gundlach’s daughters and continues to honor his legacy of keeping the faith in the community he held close to his heart. When asked to reflect on her father’s legacy, Julie Gundlach shared the following sentiment and photo of her father: 

“The other day I cleared my fridge of all the magnets and quotes except for this one by Rumi, ‘Come, come, whoever you are…ours is not a community of despair.’ This quote encompasses how Winks lived his life until the very end. “Keep the Faith!” is engraved on his gravestone. A nod to say, whoever you are, whatever your faith, do not despair; do not give up. Keep the faith that there is good to be had and good to be done in the world, starting with your own community.”
— Julie Gundlach

In 2025, the Herman Gundlach Donor Advised Fund supported the following nonprofits:

  • Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

  • KRACK (Keweenaw Random Acts of Community Kindness)

  • Let's Eat Community Meals/Let's Rebuild Community

  • Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly

  • Michigan Tech Fund- Husky Pantry

  • Omega House

  • Pine Mountain Music Festival, Inc.

  • Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran Church

  • Simple Kindness for Youth

  • Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Hancock Food Pantry

  • Swedetown Trails Club

  • The Salvation Army Hancock

  • Tree House Family Resource Center

  • Trinity Episcopal Church- Food Bank 

  • U.P. Kids

  • U.P. Kids Big Brothers Big Sisters

  • Unite Mental Health and Wellness 

  • Western Upper Peninsula Food Bank Inc. 

  • 31 Backpacks

  • Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home

  • Bay Cliff Health Camp

  • BHK Child Development Board, Inc.

  • Calumet Theatre Company

  • CLK Council of Churches

  • Copper Country Angel Mission

  • Copper Country Community Arts Council

  • Copper Country Habitat for Humanity

  • Copper Country Humane Society

  • Copper Country Junior Hockey Association 

  • Copper Country Suzuki Association

  • Dan Schmitt Gift of Music and Education Fund

  • Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc.

  • Hancock Trails Club

  • Joe Freed Empowerment Fund

  • Keweenaw Land Trust

  • Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition

To learn more about establishing a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) and creating a lasting impact in our community, contact the Keweenaw Community Foundation at mail@keweenawgives.org.

Vienna Leonarduzzi