When SNAP benefits were temporarily stalled in October, Megan Torkildson, director of the Educational Success Center at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, reached out to Newborn 2 School Education (N2SE) childcare center to see how she could support families feeling the strain.

“What really inspired me to do this was a concern for our daycare families and making sure they had what they needed to keep their kids – and themselves – fed,” said Torkildson. “I have a 4-year-old, and we’ve been talking a lot about how some kids don’t have everything he has, and how important it is to give back and help others when they’re in need.”

Her call sparked a collaboration that quickly grew into something much larger.

A Partnership Takes Shape

“At UW-Superior, part of my role is meeting with students who are struggling,” Torkildson said. “I recently met with a student who shared that their biggest challenge wasn’t academics – it was figuring out how to feed themselves and their children if SNAP benefits didn’t come through in November. That stuck with me.”

Motivated by that conversation, Torkildson worked closely with N2SE Owner and Director Amy Benson to coordinate an effort to assemble meal kits for families connected to the daycare.

“When I connected with Amy, I asked if we could create something that supported both our Newborn 2 School Education families and the Yellowjacket Food Pantry for UWS students,” she said. “Many of our students are non-traditional and supporting families of their own, so making sure this effort reached them felt especially important. There are so many factors in a student being successful, and basic needs are a major one.”

Benson immediately embraced the idea – and then went even further. She personally donated more than $1,000 from the center to strengthen the project.

Families at N2SE joined in wholeheartedly. Parents and caregivers contributed food, hygiene products, diapers, formula and other essentials – items that would go directly to fellow daycare families facing hardship.

More Than Promised

In addition to supporting their own families, N2SE pledged to donate at least 30 meal kits to the Yellowjacket Food Pantry. However, the generosity of the community far exceeded that initial commitment. In total, the daycare delivered 775 pounds of food to the pantry.

Coming Together on Distribution Day

To ensure the donations reach families quickly and smoothly, the Educational Success Center team volunteered at the Yellowjacket Food Pantry on Tuesday, November 25, helping to distribute the meal kits collected through this community-wide effort.

As Thanksgiving nears, this effort stands as a powerful example of what gratitude in action looks like. By supporting one another, the Superior community is ensuring students and families can celebrate the holiday with comfort, dignity and full plates.