A stocked pantry can mean one less worry between classes. In Fennimore, Wisconsin, community donors are helping make that possible for students at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College.
In an announcement dated Oct. 26, the college said supporters contributed more than $58,000 to Katie’s Cupboard during Chargers Day of Giving. Community First Bank employees donated groceries, and GoMacro supplied cases of nutrition bars.
A practical kind of encouragement
The college says the pantry recorded 1,218 visits during the 2025-26 academic year. That figure counts visits, not necessarily individual students. Katie’s Cupboard has provided emergency and supplemental food assistance since 2009.
The donations arrive ahead of another campus food drive planned for the holiday season. The announcement does not provide a date for that drive or a breakdown of how the cash will be spent.
Food support is part of student support
Southwest Tech’s 2025-26 student handbook describes the pantry as a resource for students who need emergency or supplemental groceries. It says its inventory depends on donations and food purchased or received through Second Harvest.
The handbook places the pantry in the Knox Learning Center and gives katiescupboard@swtc.edu as the contact. Because that handbook covers the previous academic year, students should confirm current access arrangements with the college rather than assume older hours still apply.
Why this good news travels
This is a Wisconsin story, not a new Mohawk Valley program. Its appeal is the simple idea behind it: helping a student can mean helping with the ordinary necessities that make studying possible.
For readers inspired to help closer to home, a useful first step is to ask a nearby college or community pantry what it needs before collecting supplies. A well-meant donation is most useful when it matches the receiving organization’s actual needs.
Readers seeking information about supporting this particular pantry can use the college’s donation page.
Reporting note: This story is based on the college’s public announcement and student handbook, not interviews with pantry users. No individual student’s circumstances are identified.
