Cougar Conversations: Sandy and Miranda Motyka, Cougar Cupboard Board Members

For Sandy and Miranda Motyka, supporting North Rose-Wolcott families is a shared calling rooted in family tradition.

Sandy Motyka, a teaching assistant in Cougar OPS, serves as president of the Cougar Cupboard Board of Directors. Her daughter, Miranda, the social worker at North Rose-Wolcott Elementary School, serves as vice president. Together, they help lead the Cougar Cupboard, a school-based food pantry that provides essential support to the community and sends food home to students several times a year through the Backpack Program.

Sandy first became involved during her first year in the district. “I did some help and support with the Cougar Cupboard, and I just thought it was a great thing that we were doing, not only to have the food pantry here at the school, but also the Backpack Program,” she said. “I was pretty driven to want to help.”

Managing the Cougar Cupboard involves everything from annual food safety trainings and inventory management to ordering supplies and spreading awareness about what the organization does. But for Sandy, giving her time is second nature.

“I like being here and supporting my community in both of my roles - not only here at the high school, but with the Cougar Cupboard,” she said. “As a child, my family was very big on supporting the community. I grew up in our local church and in our fire department, so I think it was a natural progression to try to give back.”

“NRW is home,” Miranda said. “I graduated from North Rose-Wolcott High School, so when the social work position at the elementary school became available, it was a no-brainer. Adding the Cougar Cupboard role on top of that has also been a no-brainer. It’s something that’s been very important to me.”

Anyone in need of assistance or who is interested in donating or learning more about the Cougar Cupboard can email cougarcupboard@nrwcs.org.