When Ashley St. Aubin-Clark first set foot on the UW-Eau Claire campus, her vision was to develop her skills as a teacher.
What she didn’t expect was qualifying for food stamps and regularly visiting a food pantry during her fourth and fifth years in school. She is one of nearly four million college students nationwide without reliable access to nutritious food, also known as being “food insecure.”
It’s a challenge faced in the general population, as well. In 2017, nearly 16,000 people — or about 15 percent — in Eau Claire County received FoodShare (formerly known as food stamps) assistance, just below the state average of 16 percent.
Pastoral column: Members of Eau Claire ELCA congregations work to improve our community
By Philip Ruge-Jones, Associate Pastor, Grace Lutheran Church The eight Eau Claire churches affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will be participating in “God’s Work. Our Hands” culminating this coming Sunday (Oct. 14). Across the country, thousands of ELCA members choose a Sunday for service work to make a positive change in […]
“Day of Caring”: more than 900 pairs of hands volunteering at nearly 50 Chippewa Valley project sites
The Chippewa Valley’s 23rd Annual “Day of Caring” lent a hand – or hands – at almost 50 project sites across Chippewa and Eau Claire counties on Friday, with more than 920 volunteers involved. Over 40 nonprofit organizations as well as individuals were assisted with painting, landscaping, maintenance and repair projects. The effort was organized […]