From a storage closet to a 711.5-square-foot space, Washington State University Vancouver’s Cougar Food Pantry has come a long way. “No one’s successful in their class if they’re worried about where their next meal is,” said Eric Scott, campus senior director of engagement and well-being. The new pantry includes refrigerators, food preparation equipment and shelving. Before, nonperishable goods and limited fresh produce were available. Students would fill out an online form of what they needed, and a pantry assistant put together to-go bags together based on the orders. On Jan. 6, the pantry opened for current undergraduate, graduate and nursing students to shop in person from 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays in the Library Building, Room 240.

In 2023, the Legislature provided partial funding for campuses to hire basic-needs navigators. Mark Brubaker and Kristina Lockwood donated $82,000, enabling the expansion of the pantry and the addition of a second assistant, as well as a full-time basic needs navigator, Carmen Herrera, who oversees the pantry. Herrera has been involved with the pantry since 2021 and helps students facing challenges such as food insecurity, housing, transportation and access to other essential resources. “When anybody walks through the door, I just want them to feel like they’re coming into a welcoming environment, and that there’s no stigma,” Herrera said. “They’re not being judged and that they’re just going to a grocery store.” The donation also enabled the pantry to offer starter kitchen kits, including a can opener, basic spices and sauces in a reusable Cougar bag.

“Ideally, we want students to come to see the food pantry as another resource offered by WSU Vancouver without any stigma or shame attached to it,” Brubaker wrote in an email. “It can be difficult enough to be a student without worrying about where your next meal is coming from, or how you are going to feed your family, so we hope the food pantry can relieve some of the burdens that students may be feeling.” A dozen students browsed the pantry around 4 p.m. Jan. 14. One brought back his reusable bag, while others stopped in for the first time. Herrera said common items students have shopped for in the past few weeks include eggs, milk, soup and microwaveable meals. The school is working toward a partnership with the Clark County Food Bank and other local sources to receive donated goods. Right now, the goods are purchased off retail shelves, including at Costco, Walmart and Fred Meyer, Scott said. Compared with fall 2023, fall 2024 saw an 85 percent increase in students who used the pantry, according to Cougar Food Pantry data.

“Working at the Cougar Food Pantry, I’ve seen firsthand how valuable this resource is for students,” WSU Vancouver senior Esmeralda De Jesus Castaneda, a pantry assistant and, said in an email. “Many have shared that the food bags help them save money for other essentials and ease the stress of finding meals.” Penguin Pantry Clark College’s Penguin Pantry also opened for in-person shopping at the start of the winter term Jan. 6. During the pandemic and through 2024, the pantry offered a shelf-stable food box during “drive-up” service once a month. Now, currently enrolled students can shop for fresh produce, meat, bread and nonperishable goods from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Penguin Union Building, Room 162.

“Everyone is so grateful and thankful, especially with the high cost of groceries these days,” said Tori Sklar, Penguin Pantry program coordinator. “Everyone is just excited for all the different options that we have that they get to pick out.” She said premade sandwiches and salads are popular choices, along with fresh produce and meat. Clark College partners with the Clark County Food Bank for donations. Students shopped for about 3,000 pounds of food during the first week of in-person operation. “There is a really great need right now in the community with the food costs and cost of everything going up,” Sklar said, “especially for the Clark Community. We’re trying to help them out as best we can.”