Vision, Mission, and Initiatives

2024-2025

It is the mission of Wally’s Cupboard of Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) to not only manage food insecurity on the WCSU campus, but to provide an experience where students can feel comfortable and secure accessing aid in a supportive, judgment-free environment. We work to link students with supplies they need on a weekly basis. These include groceries, toiletries, cleaning products, and menstrual care. With matched enthusiasm, we strive to connect them with valuable resources including educational materials, information regarding social programs they may be eligible for, ways to get involved in their communities, and more.

We are a student-run campus resource that operates primarily through volunteers dedicated to the betterment of our campus community. Our volunteers are highly valued and it is our hope in all our endeavors to not only provide those utilizing our resource with the support they need, but our volunteers as well. We aim to do so by providing a safe, fun work environment that allows them to grow new skills, build their resume, and enjoy getting involved within the WCSU campus. Such volunteer work can be an extensive and comprehensive means to provide valuable experiences for students of all majors at WCSU. It has been found to hold particular value to those studying in fields such as public health, nursing, social work, finance, business, and psychology due to its philanthropic applied setting of managing business practices, instituting public health and social program concepts in a real world setting, and more.

As we move forward in a new space we aim to still provide for our peers’ immediate and long-term needs while extending our reach to added support through everything we do ranging from the general design and layout of our new space, the events we plan to host, the programs we build and employ, and the initiatives we take on. Across the 2024-2025 school year, we hope to work towards enacting three important initiatives in particular that echo others being pushed in similar spaces nationwide. They are as follows:

1. Nutrition and Lifestyle-Driven Educational Programming: We look to not only address short-term needs, but support students as they fuel up for successful futures. We aim to do such by providing students with educational materials regarding nutrition, food access, and health care along with opportunities to engage in healthful, educational activities.
2. Destigmatization of Food Access: It is our goal to lessen food access disparities on campus and in our local communities by shifting social norms and attitudes surrounding the utilization of programs and services like ours. We wish to empower students as they seek out and utilize resources necessary, allowing them to not only survive but thrive.
3. Culturally Responsive and Need-Informed Foods: We wish to follow the lead of many other groups across the country by providing food to students that is not only sustaining their bodies, but their souls. We wish to provide students with foods that allow them to celebrate culture and entice them to fully utilize our services, breaking down traditional barriers many face when looking to access food aid. In addition, we wish to tie in a need-informed construct when stocking our space, planning in such a way that those with food allergies, sensitivities, and religious restrictions may also be able to utilize our services.

We envision our new space as one in which students are given tools to thrive and get involved within their communities while actualizing autonomy and self-sufficiency. We hope to be an integral part of the success of WCSU students. Join us as we work to grow, expand, and improve our services.

Currently, we have quite a large goal to reach in order to provide minimal support to our students. As I write this at the start of our Fall 2024 semester, we have $9K of the $125K we need to supply just 100 of our food insecure students with $33 of groceries weekly along with Thanksgiving meal kits. Our wildest dream here at Wally's Cupboard is to not only surpass but DOUBLE this goal as we estimate much greater need. Ideally we would have the ability to accommodate at least 200 students through the semester, for Thanksgiving, and to help support 50 students in the winter and summer intersessions. Please keep an eye out on this page for updates.

If you find yourself able and willing to support our cause, monetary donations can be made by filling out the form below. Monetary donations, especially sustaining or monthly donations, help us greatly in our efforts.

If you prefer to pick out your donation personally, feel free check out our Amazon wish list here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3I8OZZRYAHKOX?ref_=wl_share

No matter your type of contribution, we thank you greatly for your support, kindness, generosity, and overall care which you have extended towards our students.