Stepping into action: UW-Eau Claire nursing students combat food, housing insecurity with cookbook sales

Dr. Rachel Zimmer, assistant professor of nursing and a Dunn County resident, sought out the collaboration after seeing a unique engagement opportunity for her clinical students.

During the spring 2026 semester, students created a cookbook for staff and volunteers of the organization’s Cairn House, a 20-bed shelter, to prepare meals with. Recipes featured budget-friendly, commonly found ingredients that align with basic dietary recommendations, as Zimmer says many residents live with chronic health conditions. Plus, those preparing the meals are often unsure which foods and meal options are most appropriate due to a lack of formal medical training.

Three cookbooks were given to Stepping Stones, one for each of its shelters, to reference for meal planning. The students also sold cookbooks and donated $455 in proceeds, enough to feed 18 families through the food pantry or six students for an entire school year through the nonprofit’s weekend meals program.

“It had a really great impact, something so small that’s been really wonderful,” says Corrisa Villeneuve, executive director of Stepping Stones.

This semester, seven students in Zimmer’s practicum, Nursing Leadership I, conducted a windshield survey of Dunn County and produced for Stepping Stones a list of potential rental properties for individuals in Eau Claire and Dunn County having an especially challenging time finding housing due to past drug convictions or evictions.

They updated the cookbook and listed it for sale again with new graphics, modified recipes and additional educational information and then asked Zimmer if proceeds from the sale of the 60 books could be used to create outreach kits filled with winter survival essentials.

“I said, ‘That’s a great idea!’” Zimmer recalls. “It became their brainchild and blossomed into this very robust project.”

The group knew individuals faced several challenges, including lack of access to showers and insulation materials to keep cars or tents warm at night, but decided to focus on providing materials to make improvements.

“If we could give shampoo and conditioner, then laundry detergent they can access in laundromats,” says Moriah Mastin, a senior from Kasson, Minnesota. “That would be a little more comprehensive of a help.”

Alexa Neumeister, a senior from La Crosse, is the president of UW-Eau Claire’s American Red Cross Club and helped that group assemble homeless kits over the past few years. Her insights helped direct the nursing students’ project to focus on more robust items like wool blankets, rechargeable handwarmers, umbrellas and first aid supplies rather than shorter-term resources such as travel-size items.

The group applied for a Walmart grant after creating a shopping list of the robust items necessary to complete 50 kits. The retailer is expected to respond to the nearly $5,000 request by Thanksgiving. If approved, the final week of class will be spent shopping, assembling and distributing the kits.

“Hopefully the timing works out and we will be able to purchase the supplies and deliver the kits to Stepping Stones before the end of the semester,” Zimmer says.

If it does not, the group created a registry of the items that supporters can purchase.

“I’m proud of the step forward that we’re taking with it, not just selling the cookbook and giving the money back, but having a purpose behind it,” says Grace Koss, a senior from Appleton.

Every item requested and every cookbook recipe modified were thoughtful and intentional decisions, the result of hours of demographic and survey research and engagement with the community the nursing students are serving. The class toured the Cairn House, which houses individuals for six to eight weeks, attended Stepping Stones’ Empty Bowls fundraiser and conducted the windshield survey of Dunn County to gain a better understanding of everyday life for individuals facing insecurity.

“Touring the Cairn House and food pantry was really eye-opening and helped us truly see what resources were available,” says Dana Unti, a senior from Slinger. “I’ve gone on mission trips to help the church feed the homeless. I feel like I haven’t learned about it such in depth as I have in this class about what specific health issues they face.”

Zimmer says the analysis students conducted and the creative solution they found to support individuals are key purposes of the clinical rotation. Villeneuve says the group’s ability to tackle any project has made a big impact for Stepping Stones’ small team, especially community connections manager Rochelle Weber.

“She deals with so many walk-ins and phone calls, a lot of people looking for case management, rent assistance, utility assistance or just in really, really tough spots,” Villeneuve says. “When we have nursing students come in and they’re able to apply for that grant or brainstorm the winter gear bags, it takes that off Rochelle’s plate so she can really continue focusing on that direct service.

It’s been a really great partnership.”

Order a cookbook.

Learn more about Stepping Stones of Dunn County’s impact.