Generosity grows: Community comes together to support WCTC’s Campus Cupboard

"When you're talking about students who are trying to get ahead by going to school and can't quite make ends meet, and that includes buying food, it is just easy to get involved." -- Sandy McGee, Vrakas CPAs + Advisors and WCTC Foundation Board

According to a report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 23% of undergraduate students (which include those at two-year colleges) experience food insecurity. This can lead to a host of challenges, among them academic distress, lower grades, fatigue, lack of concentration, mental health issues and more.

“We know that when students struggle to meet their basic needs, it can impact their ability to focus on learning,” said Michael Lango, WCTC’s associate vice provost of Student Affairs.

That’s why the WCTC community is working hard to combat those challenges for students, ensuring no one goes hungry. This compassionate community, which includes dedicated internal groups, individuals and generous external partners, is driven by a shared spirit to strengthen the Campus Cupboard, WCTC’s on-campus food pantry.

From 2024 to 2025, the Campus Cupboard saw its usage jump 33%, Lango said. This semester alone, around 175 students have already used the resource with more than 320 bags of items distributed as of Oct. 31. On average, around 400 bags are given out per semester; however, the Student Life team is seeing a spike in use due to rising grocery costs and ongoing changes with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Easy access to essentials

Students can use their ID card to access the cupboard any time the campus is open, and they are allowed one bag of groceries per week. Prepacked bags are available, or students may select from a variety of items and make their own.

The most requested items include cereal, soups, noodles, pasta sauces, taco kits, peanut butter and jelly, and microwave and ready-to-eat meals. The College has also increased its stock of basic need essentials, such as personal hygiene products, toilet paper and laundry detergent.

Campus and corporate donations boost resources

The Campus Cupboard operates locations on both the Pewaukee (established in 2012) and Waukesha (established in 2025) campuses, and it strives to maintain a consistent supply of items. To do so effectively, the cupboard relies on a collaborative effort: individual donations and involvement from internal and external groups to help keep the shelves filled.

WCTC Foundation Board members Sandy McGee, from Vrakas CPAs + Advisors, and Margo Lehmann, from Lakeland Supply, Inc., both held food drives and fundraisers at their workplaces to benefit the Campus Cupboard.

McGee said as part of her company’s philanthropic culture, the firm holds monthly lunch events in which the company treats employees to a meal and then encourages them to give back to an organization of their choice. McGee said she and her colleagues chose to support the Campus Cupboard with the money collected – more than $600 -- to be used to fill specific gaps in the pantry’s inventory.

"When you're talking about students who are trying to get ahead by going to school and can't quite make ends meet, and that includes buying food, it is just easy to get involved,” McGee said.

Lehmann approached company leaders about a food drive and received enthusiastic support. A collection barrel, which was set up at Lakeland Supply, Inc. for two weeks, overflowed with food donations plus nearly $200 in cash. “I work with such a great team, and everyone is so giving,” she said. Lehmann is also the founder of the Marleh Lehmann Scholarship Foundation, in memory of her daughter, which has awarded scholarships to WCTC students.

Additionally, other external organizations and companies have connected with the WCTC Foundation, with plans to hold future food drives, said Robyn Ludtke, executive director of the WCTC Foundation.

On campus, groups and individual donors have also provided support. Dannise Bartlett, executive assistant for Academic Affairs, helps coordinate yearly on-campus food drives (which began in 2017) led by the College’s administrative assistants. About 1,200 food/essential items are collected on average per drive along with cash donations.

“Our dedicated volunteers from the admin team work hard to make our service events the best that they can be, and we always have great support from everyone on campus during our food drives,” she said.  “The Campus Cupboard is a needed essential for students and very easy to support.”

A student group, the Early Childhood Education Club, recently collected materials to make 30 birthday cake kits, which were assembled and donated to the Campus Cupboard. Kits include a disposable pan, can of soda (to replace oil and eggs), cake mix, frosting, candles, plates and napkins. The club holds this activity every few years as a way to help celebrate the recipient’s special day.

How to help

To ensure continued success of this much-needed on-campus resource, financial contributions and food donations are always welcome. Nonperishable food items can be dropped off at the Student Life Office (Room C-121) at the main Pewaukee campus (items that are expired, damaged, home-cooked or pre-opened cannot be accepted). And financial donations can be made through the WCTC Foundation.

>> To learn more about how to get involved and support the Campus Cupboard, visit www.wctc.edu/campus-cupboard.