S.O.S. Food Fight Challenge Happening NOW! |
Our second annual School’s Out for Summer (S.O.S.) Food Fight Challenge is happening NOW! For this challenge, participating businesses collect pantry item donations from YOU, the community, for our Sunshine Pantry program, from June 11th - July 9th. The business who collects the most lbs of food/employee wins, and we all win when everyone in our community has enough to eat. Drives like these are critical to keeping the pantry shelves stocked during the summer months when need is high, and donations are low.
Monetary donations for the pantry can also be made online, and put towards your chosen participating business by clicking here. These will be counted at $3/lb to be added to a business’s total. Both types of donations are incredibly helpful to the pantry program, with monetary donations allowing us to purchase more items for less money through our relationships with wholesale distributors, and product donations keeping variety on the shelf. |
Last year we collected over 3 thousand lbs of food through monetary and product donations! This year, with even MORE businesses participating, (16 in total compared to 12 last year!) we hope to top that. |
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Time is running out! Our drive ends in just a little over a week from now. Click here to see participating business hours and locations, and click the list below to view the pantry’s top needs list. Thank you for your continued support! |
Interested in hosting your own product drive for Sunshine Pantry ?
A great place to start is our Top Needs list. (Click the list to the right to enlarge or print).
You can also click here to check out our Food Drive Kits, which offer guidance on how to host and promote your pantry drive, and ideas for themes and timelines. Or come up with your own idea! |
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2026 Sunshine Place Scholarship Recipients |
We are SO excited to say CONGRATULATIONS to the recent recipients of our 4th annual Sunshine Place Scholarship for high school seniors, Katherine Noack and Peyton Vander Steeg from Sun Prairie West High School, and Ishaan Pillai from Sun Prairie East High School!
❤️Ishaan has put in many hours sorting and organizing clothing donations at KiDs Closet over the years, as well as helping to build the new clothing donation bin as a part of Team Anjani. He is currently on the KiDs Closet Youth Board.
đź’™ Katherine and Peyton co-founded Sun Prairie Meals Matter, which at last count, has collected an incredible 20,833 lbs in product donations and $7,386 for the pantry, even as more donation drives are happening.
Thank you for all that you have done for your neighbors through Sunshine Place programs. We wish you the best of luck as you graduate and move ahead to accomplish more great things!
The Sunshine Place Scholarship is in honor of Sunshine Place founder, Beth Mielcarek, who helped establish Sunshine Place as a welcoming space for neighbors to find support with essential needs, contributing her time and talents for many years. Recipients of this scholarship have demonstrated this same spirit of volunteerism, compassion and service to others through active, impactful, community involvement. |
Our Stuff the Bus program is Collecting Donations! |
ABOUT STUFF THE BUS:
Sunshine Place’s annual Stuff the Bus program provides backpacks and school supplies to Sun Prairie students in need. Every child in our community deserves to start the school year with the basic necessities, regardless of their family’s financial situation.
To better serve those who use this program, this year we will be providing backpacks with supplies specific to elementary school students, and backpacks with supplies specific to middle/high schoolers. This decision was made based on feedback from recipients and school staff, as well as significant differences in Sun Prairie school supply lists for younger versus older students.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
We could not do programs likes this without the community’s support. We need your help to serve 2,000 students this year!
Interested in helping kids in our community get the tools they need for school? There are several things you can do:
- Host a backpack drive within your group, neighborhood, or church. We need fun, themed backpacks for elementary-aged kids, as well as solid color, more sturdy backpacks for middle/high schoolers to carry around all of their books. Contact kelly@sunshineplace.org for a flyer customized with your logo and/or donation drop-off information, to help promote your drive!
- Purchase new backpacks to donate on your own, or have items shipped directly to us by donating through our Walmart Wish List, or our Amazon Wish List
- Make a financial donation to help cover the cost of supplies and backpacks.
- Participate in The Summer Kids Challenge to raise funds for Stuff the Bus and for the chance to win a year’s supply (12 pints) of Culver’s frozen Custard and a backpack full of fun prizes!
- Or a combination of any of the above!
Special thanks to Bank of Sun Prairie, for your continuing sponsorship and support of our Stuff the Bus program!
**Please note, we are NOT accepting school supply donations from the community. We are able to get more supplies for less through our bulk suppliers, and we can be intentional about purchasing the supplies that Sun Prairie students need. |
Good Neighbor Market Updates |
Enjoy some photos from our first two Good Neighbor Markets of the year! With these first two Good Neighbor Markets we have distributed approximately 2,300 lbs of fresh produce to over 200 visitors.
We are so grateful to our partners at Second Harvest for providing a generous supply of fresh veggies, herbs, and more, for our Good Neighbor Markets. These run similarly to a Farmer’s Market, with tables set outside in the parking lot in front of the pantry program entrance at 18 Rickel Road. These events are completely FREE and open to anyone in our community. Click here to find future Good Neighbor Market dates! |
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Are you a gardener?
If you are still planning out your planting for the spring or often end up with excess produce, consider planting a garden row for Sunshine Pantry!
We accept fresh produce from your garden as long as you follow these guidelines, and seasonal items are so appreciated by our pantry shoppers. (Click the image to the left to enlarge or print). |
Save the Date for our annual fundraising event! |
Staff Spotlight: Melissa Diaz Cabrera,
Bilingual Navigation Coordinator |
How long have you worked at Sunshine Place?
Over a month now! I started May 26th.
What is one of your favorite memories from working here?
While I am still building new memories here, my favorite experience so far has been getting ice cream with nearly the entire staff. Building community in the workplace is vital- it helps connect us all to our mission of serving the community, even as we each bring our own unique motivations to the work we do. And who doesn’t love ice cream!
What do you wish more people knew about Sunshine Place and/or about your role here?
My role as bilingual Navigation Coordinator is new to the Sunshine Place and it requires me to know our program and program partners well which has been a great learning experience. Also it is an exciting opportunity to use my skills and experience in housing to collaborate with the housing team.
What can people find you doing when you're not at work?
I love being outside whenever possible so odds are you can find me at a park either crafting, reading or paddleboarding.
What is a fun fact about you that may surprise people?
I ran my first marathon in Madrid, Spain last year. |
"On a very rainy day, after grabbing some food from the lobby, a client who took the bus to get there asked if we could keep her food until after she walked to her job interview nearby, so it didn't get wet. She came back a bit later to collect her items and went on her way. There is nothing out of the ordinary about this client. Our clients are just regular people from all different backgrounds, working, living, and using the supports available to them to get by. We feel lucky to be a trusted support for them."
- Sunshine Place staff |
Are you a Sunshine Place client, volunteer, or donor with a story to share? Send your stories to socialmedia@sunshineplace.org or, fill out our online story form. All stories stay anonymous unless otherwise requested by a client. |
Neighbors Helping Neighbors |
We are so grateful to the groups, businesses, and individuals who have recently volunteered, donated, and organized drives or events to support our mission. Sunshine Place programs are possible thanks to our community’s generosity and commitment to helping one another.
Below are just a few photo highlights showcasing recent support. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see more stories of impact and kindness. |
A record number of families and individuals are turning to us for help with food, housing, and other essential needs. Your support ensures our neighbors can find hope and help at Sunshine Place when they need it most. Thank you! |
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