As basic needs go, food is among the most basic. No one—even adults—can be successful at school on inadequate food. “One of the things we can relate to is Maslow's hierarchy of needs,” says Spokane Falls Community College’s Basic Needs Navigator Zack Reiber. “If your stomach is hungry or you don't have clothes to wear, it’s very difficult to move up that ladder, get academic achievements, and reach goals.”
The food pantries at Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) and Spokane Community College (SCC) are part of a comprehensive set of basic needs supports designed to ensure that needs for food, water, clothing, shelter and safety are not barriers to student success.
The SCC and SFCC main campuses in Spokane each have their own full-service food pantry right on campus, which students can visit up to three times per academic quarter.
At SCC, students can visit the pantry overseen by Student Resources Navigator Dr. Suzanne Phillips. The pantry offers a variety of food, including shelf-stable items, fresh fruit, dairy products, eggs and frozen foods. Students can take home approximately 35 pounds of groceries per visit, enough to prepare several meals for themselves and their families.
“We want to make sure our students are successful and meet their goals,” Phillips says. “We try to destigmatize the use of our pantry, and it's not something that when somebody comes to the window, we're having conversations about. But what we are doing is, ‘Hi, how's your day? How are your classes? Is there anything else that we can help you with?’”
At SFCC, the main pantry is Skitch's Food Pantry. Andrew Perera, manager of Student Programs, says the pantry’s goal is to make accessing food and other basic needs resources as easy as possible. Students can get the groceries they need without having to explain or justify their circumstances to staff. The services are intended for all students, and anyone who needs help should feel comfortable using them.
“Even if it doesn't look like we have a solution to something, I would want students to come to me,” Perera says. “We can problem-solve and get you connected to the resources that you need.”
That assistance extends beyond food. Students may also need personal hygiene products, basic medications, diapers, feminine hygiene products or other everyday necessities. SFCC provides some of these items through a free vending machine, while staff members can help students find additional resources through campus services and community organizations.
The food pantries also work with community partners to increase the variety and availability of food. Second Harvest's Mobile Market visits both main campuses, giving students access to additional groceries and fresh food. At SFCC, students also can visit a completely free farmers market sponsored by the Associated Student Government.
These services are part of a broader network of support that recognizes that students' lives outside the classroom have an enormous impact on their success. Connecting students with groceries and other necessities can help remove some of the pressures that make pursuing an education more difficult.
For Perera, that support reflects the larger purpose of a community college.
“One of the things I love about working at a community college is that we're here for the community,” he says. “The more the school can put into that, the more they'll see students excelling in the classroom, leaving here and being gainfully employed.”
Students don't need to wait until they're facing a crisis to ask for help. The food pantries and other basic needs services are there to support them throughout their education. Whether a student needs groceries for the week or simply wants to pick up something to eat between classes, these resources are available without judgment.
“We want to be that resource for you,” says Perera.