By Gabiel Sofie
Whatcom is now offering a service called Orca Food Pantry.
This program has been created to help those in need. It is a service open to any students who may skip meals for financial reasons.
The pantry is on the second floor of Syre Student Center, next to the Intercultural Center.
“It’s an amazing idea. It’s just the start of it. I hope it gets bigger,” said Evelyne Mugabe, Whatcom’s Director of Clubs.
Mugabe said that the Orca Food Pantry was created the summer of 2016 and it is still in the developing stages.
Jackie Rumble, Director of Campus Advocacy and founder of the pantry service, said she wants to help students to get the proper nutrition they need.
The pantry operates on an honor-based system, where a student takes only what they need.
The program is always accepting donations of food products with long shelf lives.
Donations include, but are not limited to, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, drink mixes, cereal, trail mix, granola bars, instant oatmeal, and microwavable meals.
The pantry is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All students are welcome and no sign-in is required. All the student needs to do is reach into the pantry and take what they need for consumption at school or home.
The food can be prepared on campus on the first floor of Syre right outside the Dockside Café. There is a microwave and hot water dispenser for student use.
Kitchenware is not provided, but plastic utensils can be purchased at Dockside Café for five cents per .utensil.
“Don’t go to class hungry,” said Farrel Komara, a Whatcom Student Ambassador.
Komara explained that the pantry offers an option to help students from going hungry. The pantry is a tool for those who may not have ready access to the nutrition that their bodies need.
Donation boxes are located in the following buildings on campus: Syre Student Center, Laidlaw Center, Heiner Center, Kulshan, and Cascade Hall.
