Give to WSUBy Max Eberts
Lamb Weston gift to WSU Tri-Cities Cougar Cupboard helps address student hunger
Lamb Weston, one of the world’s largest producers of frozen french fries, made a $25,000 gift this past April to the Washington State University Tri-Cities Cougar Cupboard—now the Lamb Weston Cougar Cupboard, as part of a three-year $75,000 naming sponsorship.
The gift will be used to support salaries of students working in the student-run food pantry that provides fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food items and toiletries at no cost to students and their families.
Lamb Weston, which has offices and manufacturing plants in Tri-Cities and throughout Washington, has supported this vital campus resource since 2019, providing $25,000 each year. This new commitment will, in three years, bring their total support to $200,000.
“We are happy to be able to assist WSU Tri-Cities students and their families to focus on their studies and stay on track to achieve their goals,” said Deb Dihel, vice president, strategic growth innovation at Lamb Weston. “And when these students are ready to graduate, we hope they’ll consider Lamb Weston to begin their careers and bring their talents and ideas with them.”
Food insecurity—defined as the limited or uncertain availability of healthy food—has grown significantly on university campuses in the past ten years, and especially since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. In 2010 there were few food pantries on college campuses. According to research by the non-profit college student loan guarantor Trellis, there are now more than 800 food pantries on college campuses across the country. The Lamb Weston Cougar Cupboard itself received more than 500 requests for food during the 2023 fall semester.
A national crisis for college students
Reports ranging from the National Center for Education Statistics to Temple University’s Hope Center to a Virginia Tech study reveal that anywhere from 23 to 40 percent of college students deal with food insecurity. The rate is higher among state university students and higher still among commuter and community college students.
Numerous factors contribute to food insecurity on college campuses, including the rising cost of tuition and living expenses such as rent, food, transportation, and the fact that college financial aid has not taken into account these rising costs; fewer state dollars available for student support programs; a higher portion of college students from low-income households attending college than before; and the fact that, with very few exceptions, college students are not eligible for Federal and State food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Moreover, colleges like WSU Tri-Cities have a large percentage of non-traditional students—students who do not come straight out of high school. Many have families, full-time jobs, and other responsibilities on top of those faced by traditional students.
Because food insecurity poses major obstacles to the health, well-being, and academic achievement of students, food pantries like the Lamb Weston Cougar Cupboard have emerged as a vital campus resource.
The problem goes beyond food insecurity.
“It’s a bigger problem than food insecurity,” said Laura Sanchez, director of student services at WSU Tri-Cities, who spoke of many WSU students also struggling with homelessness. “Even students receiving scholarships and financial aid to cover their tuition are often overwhelmed making ends meet, and not having enough to pay for food or rent.”
Numerous studies have found that more than a third of college students and half of community college students face housing insecurity, with nearly 15 percent or more of students experiencing homelessness.
“Because homelessness is a part of this growing problem facing Tri-Cities students,” said Sanchez, “the Lamb Weston Cougar Cupboard has grown to provide a range of services to help our students.”
Recognizing the seriousness of this problem, the Washington State Legislature passed a law in 2023 underwriting a “basic needs navigator” position in college student services programs. The basic needs navigator creates a point of contact for students to access resources and help them meet their basic needs—food, water, shelter, clothing, physical and mental health, childcare, and transportation. The legislation also required colleges to develop a “Hunger-Free and Basic Needs Strategic Campus Plan” by April 2024.
Funding from the state allowed WSU Tri-Cities to hire Maneesha Gammana Liyanage, the college’s basic needs navigator. In addition to maintaining a consistent food inventory from Tri-Cities Second Harvest—part of a national foodbank bringing community resources together to feed people—Liyanage works with Sanchez in developing strategies to address food and housing insecurity and other emerging needs like childcare, transportation, and financial planning.
Making the Cupboard an inviting place
In her role as a basic needs navigator, Liyanage works to make the Lamb Weston Cougar Cupboard an inviting place for students by hosting events on campus. These usually include music and handing out energy bars and snacks. She also wants to bring back the Lamb Weston french-fried potato truck to campus, which was popular with students before the COVID pandemic. All these events are designed to bring students to the Cupboard and reduce any “stigma” or “shame” associated with food insecurity.
“We learned from a recent survey that many students weren’t using the Cupboard because they thought their own personal issues of food insecurity were not as serious as their fellow students’, and if they used the Cupboard, they were taking food away from others,” said Sanchez. “That’s an example of how much students at WSU Tri-Cities care about their fellow students.”
The Cupboard is run primarily by students, many of whom have previously found help there. According to Liyanage, “These students and others who have received assistance from the Cupboard are also getting the word out to their fellow students.”
All these efforts are having an impact. “Our Cupboard is centrally located [East Building Commons]; it’s well-publicized, and because of these events, more and more of our students think of the Cupboard as a place of support,” said Gammana Liyanage. “They come and talk to us, and we learn not just about their food needs but also their other needs. We’re always trying to reach more students.”
By providing assistance to students facing such barriers as hunger and homelessness, the Lamb Weston Cougar Cupboard and other food pantries on WSU campuses are helping ensure that students succeed while they’re here so that they can graduate and go on to contribute to their communities and beyond.
“With all the thanks we receive from our students, we know they’re grateful the Cupboard is here, so they don’t have to go to class hungry, and also for our other resources to help them,” said Liyanage. “And we’re always grateful to Lamb Weston for their support.”
To make a gift to the WSU Tri-Cities Cougar Cupboard, contact Anneke Rachinski at anneke.rachinski@wsu.edu
