After witnessing food insecurity growing up, Adam Atalig, French Club vice president was inspired to create a food pantry in Thompson Hall.

Atalig grew up in the Philippines and constantly witnessed poverty. He saw a woman panhandling outside of a mall trying to earn just one peso, knew friends who lived on the street, and saw malnourished children try to survive off of candy, he said.

“Food is an essential thing. In my opinion, food is a human right,” he said. 

The pantry is located in faculty suite 203 in Thompson Hall, which is in the south wing of the building, said Mark Black, professor in the School of Languages, Cultures and Race and French Club adviser, who also helped organize the pantry. It operates Monday through Friday, approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

French Club Secretary Kendall Browder, President Cadence Harden and Sabine  Davis, professor in the School of Languages, Cultures and Race, also played essential roles in organizing the pantry. Atalig hopes the pantry serves students in need. 

“Even if it’s just one student. We’re content with just helping that one student,” Atalig said. 

The pantry is running on the honor system and is unmonitored, Harden said. Students are just asked to fill out an exit survey—advertised by a QR code— before they leave. The honors system has been respected so far, but if it becomes disrespected the club may consider monitoring the pantry. 

Students can access the pantry as needed, Black said. 

“If someone does need to come back more than once a week, we’re not going to stop them from doing that,” he said. 

Food and hygiene items can be dropped off in the donation bin in the main office of the School of Languages, Cultures and Race, Thompson Hall 110, Black said. Currently, the pantry has nonperishable items like ramen, instant coffee, snack items, peanut butter, rice, pasta and canned meat. 

The pantry does have some non-food items, Harden said. 

“We do currently have menstrual items in there. We’re hoping to get some hygiene products donated as well,” she said. 

If clubs outside of the French Club help with the pantry, it will be more sustainable long term, Black said. In the future, the pantry will rely on donations and volunteering from students. 

However, if the pantry runs out of food, they can request additional donations from the Cougar Food Pantry, Atalig said. The pantry still relies on donations from students and faculty to sustain it long-term.

“I work at the local writing center at Washington State University,” he said. “Some of my coworkers actually rely on the food pantry in order to get by because times are tough and prices at grocery stores just keep rising.”

Harden said she knew there is a great need for the pantry because of how frequently the pantry in the Compton Union Building is used. Thompson Hall is close to dorms and various classes, so it is a central location for students to stop. 

College students already have enough stress from classes and trying to live on their own for the first time, so it is really important to address food insecurity, she said. 

Black said it is hard to tell if a student suffers from food insecurity because they do not normally speak directly to him about it. He hopes the pantry will help food-insecure students without them having to directly express their needs.