Wausau Campus Builds Food Sculpture, Volunteers at United Way's CommUNITY Fest

The purpose of the annual local festival is to support and provide food for those in need in the community.

“We have a percentage of our population that doesn’t have the resources to purchase food; all the food from the food sculptures goes toward the local shelters in need,” said Patrick Schmidt, director of admissions at the Wausau campus.

Campus volunteers spent Friday collecting all the food and setting up their display; they designed a replica of Dubai's Burj Khalifa—the tallest building in the world. In total, the campus spent 120 hours in preparation of the event and collected more than $800 in food donations for Marathon County’s United Way.

Last year's event brought in more than $2,400 and 12 tons of food, according to United Way.

“We offered different fundraisers on campus to collect donations … baked goods one week, a baked potato bar the next and a nacho bar the last week,” Schmidt said.

There were about 30 businesses that participated in the food sculpture competition. In addition, there were lots of activities for families to take part in at the event, including a 5K, face painting, story time and an area designed for arts and crafts.

“Our campus employs a lot of people in the local community and has a vested interest in the community we serve,” Schmidt said. “We want to do everything we can to help those with the greatest needs. We participate in as many events as we can to improve and meet the needs of those in Marathon County.”