The Western Hub of Living Essentials (WHOLE) Pantry
WHOLE is located in the Viking Union room 435 and provides food and hygiene items to Western students at no cost. We recognize that over half of students attending public institutions in WA are facing basic needs insecurities (WSAC).
WHOLE is open
Weekdays 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Weekends 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
(except on holidays and when the Viking Union is closed)
WHOLE is a welcoming space that strives to support students. The pantry is restocked 1-2 times per day on weekdays and sustained through donations and an AS Government self-imposed student fee.
WHOLE serves over 2,000 WWU students per week. We encourage students to also look into resources such as SNAP/Food Assistance and The Bellingham Food Bank to supplement their basic needs support.
Supporting WHOLE
Despite the new student fee, WHOLE struggles to meet the needs of the 45% of Western students with basic needs insecurities. Please consider supporting WHOLE with any of the following methods.
- Staff and Faculty can give a monthly donation with a payroll deduction. Designate specific funds go to the WHOLE food pantry. Recurring donations, even small amounts, allow staff to plan better.
- You can donate to WHOLE with a one-time, or sustained, gift.
- Donate to Viking Supported Agriculture- fresh produce goes directly to students.
- Nonperishable food donations are always accepted in the bin outside of WHOLE in VU 435 or on the 6th floor of the Viking Union.
- Plan a food drive with your student group or department
Mission
The Western Hub of Living Essentials (WHOLE) Pantry provides free food and hygiene items to students, at no cost, to support Western Washington University’s strategic goals in equity, excellence, and inclusion for our students. WHOLE strives to create and ensure an inclusive Western Washington University community by providing basic needs support with dignity, cultural relevance, and without barriers to support student success. We do this through collaboration with charitable organizations, local farms, businesses, student groups, and Western programs that seek to address food insecurity.
WHOLE supports 2,000+ students weekly and the nearly 50% of WWU students that experience basic needs insecurities.
Donations Needed:
Food Donations that are most helpful: (Non-perishable, unopened, not past expiration date)
- Pasta (bulk bags okay!)
- Rice (bulk bags okay!)
- Canned beans and veggies
- Canned Soups
- Protein bars
- Ramen
- Canned meats
- Shelf stable dairy free milks
- Tampons and pads
Donations can be left on the 6th floor of the Viking Union in the donation bin or in the donation bin outside of WHOLE in VU 435. Do not donate directly to the pantry shelves.
Cold/frozen donation? Please contact the coordinator first!
Community Partners
A huge thank you to our community partners!
- Trader Joe's
- Great Harvest Bread
- Avenue Bread
- Community Food Co-op
- The WWU Foundation
- Center for Community Learning
- City Sprouts Farm
- The Tiny Farm
- Outback Farm
- WWU AS Bookstore
- Woodring College
- WWU Student Health Center
- Sustainability Engagement Institute
- Viking Supported Agriculture
- Viva Farms
- Boldly Grown Farms
- Western Americana Music Group
- Chartwells