The Cougar Food Pantry on the Washington State University’s Pullman campus will soon have more food on its shelves and money to purchase much needed new equipment, thanks to a generous donation by Safeway.
In celebration of the gift, the WSU community is invited to tour the Cougar Food Pantry on Thursday, April 10, at 9 a.m., and participate in an upgrade groundbreaking ceremony. Safeway is donating food to stock the pantry and its cash donation, equaling about $20,000, will go toward purchasing two new refrigerators and two freezers, which will be installed later.
Brief remarks will be provided by Dave Cillay, chancellor of WSU Pullman, Ben Calabretta, director of the Center for Civic Engagement, and Sara Osborne, government and public affairs director for the Seattle Division of Albertsons Companies, which include Safeway. Representatives of the Seattle Seahawks will also be in attendance.
Safeway is donating food to stock the pantry and its cash donation, equaling about $20,000, will go toward purchasing two new refrigerators and two freezers, which will be installed later.
Pantry ingredients make tasty dishes
After the program at the Cougar Food Pantry, people are invited to the Feed Cougs Well tasting event hosted by WSU Dining Services, 10 a.m. in the CUB Lair on the first floor.
Solon Pietila, associate director of culinary and senior executive chef, and Martha Flores, registered dietitian, will share two dishes made from ingredients available in the Cougar Food Pantry: lentil tabbouleh, a type of salad, and a lentil dahl, a thick and flavorful Southeast Asian soup commonly served with rice or flatbread.
“The Cougar Food Pantry has great ingredients grown right here in Whitman County,” Pietila said. “We want to show students how they can use those ingredients to make easy, delicious, and nutritious dishes.”
Recipe cards will be available for students to take home.
Chancellor’s Food Challenge is underway
It is not too late for WSU students, faculty, and staff to participate in the Chancellor’s Food Challenge to Feed Cougs Well, a friendly competition to support the Cougar Food Pantry. Teams can sign up now to collect food, monetary donations, and be Cougar ambassadors for #CougsGive.
“I encourage the entire community to get involved in this food challenge,” said Cillay. “Imagine the difference we can make by working on this together, and I think the competition will be a lot of fun.”
The competition runs through April 16, WSU’s #CougsGive Day, and winning teams will receive a celebratory meal and bragging rights across campus.
A spotlight on food waste
The Washington State Department of Ecology has been a key partner with WSU throughout the planning for these events, which coincide with Washington’s annual Food Waste Prevention Week. Jade Monroe, the food center lead in the Department of Ecology, is working with WSU and over 100 partners across the state to educate the public about the issue.
Monroe said the Chancellor’s Food Challenge and related activities are unique and great examples of what can happen when people and organizations work together to address food insecurity and food waste.
The Cougar Food Pantry opened in the CUB in 2021. That year about 4,500 different individuals visited the pantry at least once. Today, the pantry is visited by 4,000 individuals every month and about 12% of the student body has visited at least once.
“The timing of the Chancellor’s Food Challenge has never been better because this is when many students are running out of funds,” said Merri Lecoq, Cougar Food Pantry coordinator. “This will help keep our shelves stocked and students fed for the remainder of the semester and well into the summer.”
The donation and support for the WSU pantry was announced Monday by the state Department of Ecology.
