The morning of April 14, students, staff, and faculty showed up despite the cold and windy weather to run the “Paws for a Cause” 5k fun run. Student senator Bailley Simms organized the event to help fund and supply the Cougar Food Pantry, which supplies non-perishable food items to students who need a little extra help. The participants of the run had to pay an entry fee of either $2 or 2 non-perishable food items that went directly to the pantry.
Most notable about the mid-morning event was WSUV student runner Mikkayla Wotton and her dog Bandit. Bandit also ran in the race with Wotton, but when told to sit, Bandit preferred crawling on the ground. Wotton said that at least it kept Bandit, a very friendly and social creature, from jumping up on people.
Although there was no prize for the first person to complete the 5k that rainy morning, runner and WSUV IT Specialist Aaron Thorne was the first to make it back while insisting another runner was the real winner, but who had taken a wrong turn on the last leg of the 5k.
Event organizers said they expected about 40 participants to show up, but actual participation seemed less than that. Volunteers chalked up the low attendance to the less than optimal weather.
While the event did not raise a significant amount of resources for the food pantry, volunteers at the pantry say people can donate at any time. Some of the items the pantry is typically in need of are instant potatoes, canned meats, bags of rice, pasta sauces, and various types of snacks.
Just as Senator Simms did, students and faculty are welcome to host their own food drives to help keep the Cougar Food Pantry well stocked.
“We have to shop for food at least every other month just to keep the shelves stocked,” said Kim McDougall of the Coug Food Pantry committee, who supervised and managed the donations at the event. “We’ve just started taking donations for feminine hygiene products.”
The Cougar Food Pantry also provides at least two fresh, warm meals a year, one of which is a hearty Thanksgiving meal. As these events involve fresh food items, the Cougar Food Pantry uses the monetary donations and funds delegated from Services and Activities fees to purchase supplies in bulk from Costco.
People in need of Cougar Food Pantry’s services can fill out an anonymous online Food Pantry Request Form at https:// studentaffairs.vancouver.wsu.edu/food-pantry-request-form. Food bags will be available for pickup at any day from Monday to Friday, at noon or 4 p.m. at the Cougar Center or Cashier front desk on the upper floor of the Student Services Center. They only ask that food requests are kept to once a week to allow them to serve more people.
Those interested in hosting a food drive or helping out the Coug Food Pantry in other ways can contact Kafiat Beckley at kafiat.beckly@wsu.edu.
Listen to additional coverage of this story from The VanCougar’s broadcast on Koug Radio.