NEENAH — Philanthropy and the J.J. Keller family have gone hand-in-hand for decades.

To the tune of $30 million.

That monumental running total was reached recently when the Keller family issued a $50,000 grant to the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry.

"The $30 million (in giving) is remarkable," said John Weyenberg, executive director and president of Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity.

The tradition of supporting the community began with Jack and Ethel Keller, who started J. J. Keller & Associates — a transportation consulting business, in 1953.

"This goes back to my mother's wish," said J. J. Keller Foundation president Bob Keller, one of the couple's sons. "Her philosophy was, there is a Calcutta in everyone's backyard," he said, referring to the poverty stricken city in India.

"We've been blessed in our business and we've been able to give back, and we're happy to do that."

The Kellers' record of donating money to worthy organizations and causes has become legendary.

The Keller family has been an active participant in Habitat for Humanity home-building projects for a number of years. In recent years, Keller employees have taken on team-building projects to benefit local families in need of a boost.

"It has really blossomed into an excellent relationship," Weyenberg said. "And we are fortunate for that."

Weyenberg said the Keller family's ability to engage employees and other residents in community projects is impressive.

"The family is so committed to the Fox Cities and making it such a great place for everyone," he said. "It has been a mindset that has been passed down from generation to generation. "Their efforts reach far beyond the dollars."

Bob Keller said Keller family contributions help support hundreds of Fox Valley programs that focus mainly on basic needs such as food, shelter, literacy, health care and mental health care.

St. Joseph Food Program in Menasha has received multiple grants from the Keller family. Its milk program and its Storybook Series for client families have benefited from the funds. Through the Storybook Series, families have received children's books with food themes and accompanying groceries to create storybook-inspired meals.

The Keller family's support of The Post-Crescent's "Stock the Shelves" Do It! Community Challenge also has provided food program assistance, said Monica Clare, the food program's director of operations.

"J. J. Keller has been very generous to St. Joseph Food Program, and has been a consistent donor to us," Clare said. "We appreciate all they do to help the community at large."

In addition, the J. J. Keller Foundation provided a $10,000 matching grant for The Post-Crescent's inaugural "Dollars for Diapers" Do It! Community Challenge to help stock the Fox Cities Diaper Bank with disposable diapers for low-income families.

Throughout the years, the Keller family has taken on a mentoring role by encouraging others in the Fox Valley to join them in giving.

"We also do a lot of challenge grants, which bring others in the community out to help support the cause," Bob Keller said. "And we've never been turned down. Really, there are a lot of generous people in the Valley helping a lot of people who need help."

The J. J. Keller Foundation became the major giving arm of the Keller family after the deaths of Ethel and Jack Keller in 2004 and 2007, respectively. The family originally established the foundation as the Keller Foundation Ltd. in 1990.

Of the Keller family's $30 million in charitable gifts to the community, more than $12 million has been granted from the J. J. Keller Foundation.

More than $17 million has been allocated to community causes and concerns through the John J. and Ethel D. Keller Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. The J. J. Keller Foundation Donor Advised Fund at the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation has distributed $382,000.

Bob Keller said the family selected the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry as a beneficiary because it is a new Oshkosh area nonprofit with a client population that has expanded significantly over the past several years.

Moving forward, the family plans to focus on assisting organizations and programs that address the causes and consequences of poverty.

"We're sticking pretty close to our core, which is basic needs," Bob Keller said.