A new program at Lake Michigan College is helping to keep students well fed if they’re struggling with the high cost of food. LMC President Trevor Kubatzke tells us Snack Shacks are stationed around all three locations for students to use freely.
“Even in our area we have a lot of young people coming to classes hungry,” Kubatzke said. “They’re buying gas and not food, and so the college took it on themselves to come up with an idea to help the students. So, Student Services this year developed something called Snack Shacks. There are seven book cases around campus that we stock with essentials. Canned goods, snacks, peanut butter, those types of things, for our students.”
The Snack Shacks are stocked with donations. Kubatzke says a note from a student was found at one of the Snack Shacks recently, saying “Your food pantry shelves literally saved me…Food insecurity is a true struggle our entire lives.” The Snack Shacks were launched in early March, and already, students have picked up more than 1,300 items from them. Kubatzke said people from the public have even asked about helping to stock them. The program just received approval from Feeding America for additional support, and a freezer and refrigerator have been donated to it by LMC staff.
