Cougs Feeding Cougs
At any given moment, there are a number of WSU students who are concerned about where their next meal will come from. It is estimated that nearly half of all college students in the U.S. are insecure about reliable access to food, especially affordable and nutritious food.*
What is Food Insecurity?
Food insecurity is defined as the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food. Learn more at Feeding America's website or on the USDA Food Security Information website.
We've expanded Cougs Feeding Cougs to showcase all options for food assistance.
Cougar Food Pantry
The Cougar Food Pantry is open to all Pullman students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional) who need a snack, meal, or basic personal items.
Fall 2022 Usage (August 22-December 23)
- Total Visits: 7,065
- Unique student visitors: 1,749
- Total people fed: 11,679
- Days the pantry was open: 86
- Average visits/day: 82.15
We provided over 50,000 lbs of food, averaging >3,000 lbs a week.
Pantry Hours and Details- $100 provides a week of meals for a WSU student (24 meals)
- $500 will stock the coolers with 1 day of fresh produce (including salad greens grown in the WSU student-funded greenhouse operated by the WSU Organic Farm)
- $1000 will stock the shelves with one day of food for the Cougar Food Pantry.
The Cougar Food Pantry distributes over 400 pounds of fresh produce every week. This includes food purchased and donated from local organizations like the WSU Organic Farm, Backyard Harvest, and COA Human Services Colfax Food Pantry.
Emergency Dining Dollars
Formerly Cougs Feeding Cougs and the Cougar Meal Swipe program, Emergency Dining Dollars is an account where eligible students can privately request funds to be used at campus dining locations.
FAQs about eligibility and how to access funds.
On average, there are 30 requests per day for Emergency Dining Dollar funding. During peak times, like the end of each semester, requests can increase to up to 80 per day.
Thank you WSECU for your investment in Emergency Dining Dollars.
Give to Emergency Dining Dollars
- $35 will cover breakfast meals for a student for seven days.
- $50 will provide a student an entire week of lunches.
- $100 will cover breakfast, lunch and dinner for a student for five days.
- $250 would provide 35 separate meals for students.
- $1000 would provide 140 separate meals for students.
To build a sustainable fund that can adequately meet the needs of WSU food insecure students, it is estimated the fund would need at least $40,000 each semester to fulfill all requests.
Additional Resources
- Contact Financial Aid
- Palouse Fresh Food Project
- Palouse-Clearwater Food Coalition
- Palouse Resource Guide provides information about resources in the Pullman area.
- Community Action Center provides resources to empower people to reach their full potential.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly funding for food for eligible participants who enroll in the program. Click the link to see k if you qualify and to apply in the state of Washington. SNAP Benefits are accepted at The Market on Cougar Way and Southside Market.
* Dubick, J., Mathews, B., & Cady, C., “Hunger on Campus: The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College Students,” October 2016, http://studentsagainsthunger.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Hunger_On_Campus.pdf