Pantry food drive competition supports students

The Center for Equity & Inclusion, Center for Service & Leadership, Center for Student Involvement and the Student Activities Board are collaborating for the first annual Pantry Drive Nov 13. To Dec. 13.

Nedralani Mailo, program support supervisor for the Center of Equity and Inclusion, feels the support of the university as a whole has helped to rejuvenate the Pantry and get people talking about the resource on campus.

“Traditionally, RSOs have held a canned food drive each year around the holidays to help support students and their families during this time. This year, we wanted to involve the entire campus to help replenish the Pantry,” Mailo said. “It has been a great opportunity to partner with other departments on campus for a good cause that benefits our own students.”

Donations can be dropped off in bins located in the entryways of Dougan, the UW YMCA, Center for Student and Leadership, Cherry Parkes and West Coast Grocery. Donations will be measured on the weight, not amount of items, and will be recorded to create grand totals for students, faculty and staff, and RSOs. Student organizations and student donations will be combined to compare to the faculty and staff donation weight. The winner of this total will gain bragging rights — and all participants will know they helped students facing food insecurity during the holiday time. The RSO with the most total weight of donations will be award a $100 prize in operations funds.

This campus-wide food drive is to bring the community of UW Tacoma together to benefit The Pantry — located in DOU 104. The Pantry exists to provide nutritional food and hygiene items to UWT students. Students can request items on their website or pick up items during weekly drop in hours. During the autumn 2017 quarter, the drop-in hours are Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Our student assistants that work in The Pantry gathered that a lot of students are in search for instant foods,” Mailo said. “We are currently conducting a survey for The Pantry to see what items students would like to see in their future visits.”

Students can take a survey on Catalyst to express their feelings toward the Pantry and how it could improve. The survey can be found on the Pantry website at tacoma.washington.edu/the Pantry. This will help Mailo and student volunteers work to stock the Pantry wit supplies that students want and need.

“The campus has been very supportive in our efforts to replenish The Pantry,” Mailo said. “The Pantry is becoming more and more stocked with food goods and hygiene items each week.”

SUGGESTED ITEMS TO DONATE

•Cereal
•Crackers
•Canned goods
•Pasta & sauce
•Coffee
•Diapers
•Rice
•Oatmeal
•Peanut butter
•Granola
•School supplies
•Hygiene products

ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED

•Damaged items
•Opened items
• Items in glass
•Expired items
•Unlabeled items
•Home canned items

DETAILS
Date: Through Dec. 13
Donation Bin Locations: Dougan, UWY, MAT
107, West Coast Grocery