Baking and Pastry Management students donate to Habitat for Humanity’s Gingerbread Build

PEWAUKEE, Wis. (Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019) – Waukesha County Technical College Baking and Pastry Management students are using the skills developed in their classes to help support Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha County.

For the fifth year, WCTC students have baked and assembled 20 plain, undecorated gingerbread houses and donated them to Habitat for the annual Gingerbread Build competition and fundraising event, presented by Shorewest Realtors.

Companies, individuals or organizations could then purchase pre-assembled, blank slate houses from Habitat (or make their own), decorate them and submit them to the contest.

The decorated gingerbread houses – nearly 30 in total, including some WCTC student entries -- will be on display at restaurants and merchants throughout The Corners of Brookfield on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as part of the center’s Home for the Holidays event. Voting tickets ($1 per ticket, $5 for seven tickets or $10 for 20 tickets) can be purchased at Von Maur the day of the event, and all the funds raised will be used in Waukesha County to help build affordable housing.

“The service learning projects we do in our program, like the gingerbread houses, are a win-win,” said Michelle Gasparek, WCTC Baking and Pastry Management instructor. “It gives our students the chance to practice technical skills and high-volume production, which they need to become successful in the field, and it also gives them a great feeling of giving back to the community.”

Beyond the gingerbread build project, Gasparek said her students are active in community service projects throughout the year, including creating decorated cookies, cakes and pastries for events including the Ronald McDonald Christmas Fantasy House, Lifestriders Therapeutic Riding Center Boots and Bling Gala and Flight to the North Pole Milwaukee, among others.

“I’ve got such a caring group of students and they show such great teamwork,” Gasparek said. “They’re really dedicated to giving back.”