Viking Food Pantry resumes on-campus service

MOSES LAKE — The Viking Food Pantry will resume on-campus drop-in hours for the remainder of Spring Quarter to accommodate workforce education students who have returned to campus to finish labs.

The food pantry has been operating by appointment only since classes were moved online in March. Students who are still remote learning are also able to take advantage of the new drop-in hours.

Current manned hours are Monday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesday from 1 to 5 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Students can also make arrangements with food pantry staff for alternate pick up times by calling 509-793-2069 or 509-793-2081 during the college’s regular business hours or by emailing vikingfoodpantry@bigbend.edu, carmenr@bigbend.edu or jodyb@bigbend.edu.

Food pantry staff have put safety measures in place to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including providing contactless, curbside pickup. Students will not be able to enter the food pantry, rather, staff will select items based upon family size and need and bring them outside for them.

Students are encouraged to call in or email their orders before arriving, to allow staff time to prepackage their items.

Since opening three years ago, the Viking Food Pantry has become a major resource on campus, providing those in need with access to nutritious food, non-perishables, and personal care products.

Each quarter the food pantry distributes between upwards of 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of food to students. This includes fresh produce, meat, dairy, eggs and various non-perishables such as grab and go microwave meals, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and top ramen.

The food pantry receives a portion of its food through its partnership with the Moses Lake Food Bank. The rest is from generous donations from college faculty and staff, student clubs and members of the community.

For more information, visit the Viking Food Pantry webpage.