PTK’s Food Drive Aims to Stock Cav Cupboard

The honor society, Phi Theta Kappa is holding a food drive for the Student Basic Needs Center through the month of March. Organizers will collect non-perishable foods, like baby formula, rice, and canned goods, as well as essentials such as soap, toothpaste, diapers, and laundry detergent in the Honors Lounge (GEB 140).

The Student Basic Needs Center’s stated mission is to provide vital resources to students — enabling them to center their academic and professional goals. The center’s Cav Cupboard supplies food and household items weekly to anyone who presents their student ID.

Studies, such as “Food Insecurity in Higher Education: A Contemporary Review of Impacts and Explorations of Solutions,” published in 2023 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, show that college students experience food insecurity at higher rates than their fellow community members.

The Student Basic Needs Center also accepts monetary donations and keeps an Amazon Wish List of needed items.

– Copper Ramberg

Here’s What To Expect At JCCC During Spring Break

Spring break is almost here: March 16-22. Classes will not be in session, but College offices will be open Monday through Friday. For students curious about safety tips for spring break, there will be a “Safe Spring Break Event” over three days at the student lounge GEB 154, March 9, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., March 10 12 p.m.-2 p.m. and March 11 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

The central study area in the Academic Resource Center will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and will be closed Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22. The center writes: “During this time, the tutoring centers will be closed as study spaces and for tutoring; however, if students need tutoring over Spring Break, they can reach out to the appropriate center to request to be connected to a tutor. Library Services will provide regular services.”

The Lawrence-JCCC bus will be operating on reduced hours over Spring Break. The 510 K-10 Connector will operate Break Service from Monday through Friday. The Break Service schedule can be accessed here.

– Emma Weis

JCCC Mental Health Resources

As The Messenger reported earlier this semester, Johnson County Community College continues to support students with various resources and programs.

For example, The Student Assistance Program (SAP) is a short-term counseling referral program offered to help students who struggle with mental health issues.

• Students can get up to five free sessions with a licensed therapist, which you can reach either through a counselor here or directly through ​​AllOne Health at 866-329-4148.
• Licensed counselors can assist in finding resources for challenges such as substance abuse, anxiety, and eating disorders.
• JCCC offers a free and confidential online mental health screening. The screenings are not official diagnoses, but they can help students determine if counseling is right for them.

Appointments at the counseling center can be made by phone at 913-469-3809.

– Jamilete Hernandez

Future-Proof Work: JCCC Welding Program 

JCCC has one of the largest welding fabrication facilities in the country. Students can earn a welding certificate within a year (29 credit hours) or an Associates of Applied Science within two (64 credit hours).

They will learn to “interpret welding vocabulary and theory, apply rules and regulations to welds, be able to read blueprints and sketches, calculate and measure dimensions of welded parts, maintain equipment and machinery as well as fabricate parts and components, and monitor the welding process, adjust, and inspect the final materials.”

Students must first apply to get into the course. The program is considered rigorous, but class size for the course is 16 people which allows the professor to have more one-on-one interaction with each student.

Welders are needed all over. According to ZipRecruiter as of Feb. 2026, the average yearly income of a welder in Kansas is $51,500. Teachers and faculty in the welding program try to help students find jobs after they graduate.

Find out more at the JCCC Welding Technology and Metal Fabrication page.

– Ian Buhrle