Western Hub of Living Essentials (WHOLE) Pantry
According to a recent survey of Western students in Fall 2024, 45.4% reported being food insecure.
2,400 students per week is a 400% increase over our previous academic year average of 600 students per week.
About the pantry
We care about the academic success and well-being of Western students, and we recognize that students will not be able to persist in their education if basic needs are not being met.
The Western Hub of Living Essentials (WHOLE) 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 2,400+ students weekly and the nearly 50% of WWU students that experience basic needs insecurities.
Food, safety, and hygiene items are stocked, multiple times per day, seven days a week. The pantry is accessed frequently by students, over 2,400 per week, and continues to grow as the needs of our students have also increased. WHOLE is located in the Viking Union and managed by the Basic Needs Hub, a program of the Office of Student Life.
The students we serve
WHOLE is available to all Western students, but sees higher usage by students living off campus, without a meal plan. For many, WHOLE is the only basic needs support they have access to.
Donate
Thank you for considering a donation to WHOLE. Every dollar given to WHOLE goes to directly into the pantry, and your donation is a critical component in meeting the needs of our student body. Your kindness and generosity deeply appreciated!
Hear from our students
Thank you, I have been able to survive because of this pantry and I am very grateful ❤️
Thank you very much to every volunteer and donator that makes this possible. This helps me inordinately with figuring out living and school.
This pantry means I get to eat at least one meal a day
The WHOLE [Pantry] has genuinely saved me from hunger most nights many times
