Wisconsin
The Swap & Shop aims to fill basic necessities void for rural Wisconsinities
STOCKBRIDGE, Wis. — Forty-six of Wisconsin’s 72 counties are considered rural, according to a recent report by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It can be challenging for those living in rural communities to access some of life’s necessities, such as clothes, food or toiletries.
The Swap & Shop is helping to fill the void, providing various basic needs and support to those who can’t travel to a city.
What You Need To Know
- The Swap & Shop is a free nonprofit clothing pantry offering other basic life needs, like food and toiletries
- This pantry provides services to Calumet County and other surrounding communities
- Lisa Meyer said families who come to this pantry live mostly in rural communities where grocery, clothing and drug stores can be miles away
Helping people in need is important to Lisa Meyer. She’s been a special education teacher and respite care provider for the past 20 years.
In May, Meyer opened the Swap & Shop in Stockbridge. She said it’s a clothing pantry that provides more than just something to wear.
“It’s not just clothes. We do have personal hygiene items, toiletries and also a basic food pantry,” Meyer said.
The Swap & Shop is located in Calumet County and also serves the surrounding areas. Meyer said families who come to the pantry live mostly in rural communities where grocery, clothing and drug stores can be miles away.
“The residents that live here, the closest for anything is really about 15-20 minutes away and there are some people that don’t have reliable transportation. We are providing emergency needs and supplemental needs,” Meyer said.
Meyer stressed The Swap & Shop is not just for people in need; it’s for everybody. Employee Carla Biese said she’s noticed families shopping because they’re in between paychecks or trying to stretch their budgets.
“People that come in here look for clothes, either their child is outgrown a size, and they’re in a panic because they need a bigger size, or they have an occasion for the weekend, like, ‘Oh my God, my dress doesn’t fit,’” Biese said.
Meyer said besides filling a need, she hopes to provide a sense of community to rural Wisconsin. While her shop is nonprofit, Meyer said she measures her gains by asking herself one question.
“Lisa, how do you know if you’ve been successful? I said, if I help one person, I’ve been successful,” Meyer said.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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