Category: Volunteerism

“We have all the data,” says Ellie Green, student director of the UW Food Pantry, as she pries open a thick ring binder packed with spreadsheets, charts and graphs tracking every aspect, in minute detail, of the essential campus resource she manages. Sources of food. Volunteer hours. Donations. Food drives. Quantity distributed.

But one data visualization in particular paints a strikingly vivid—and vertiginous—picture of the situation the pantry is addressing. The trend line of quarterly visits rises steadily for the past few years before skyrocketing last fall, when the pantry hosted more than 6,000 visits. That is a tripling of demand in just five years.

“It’s hard to think about your future if you don’t have food on your plate now,” Green says.

Fortunately, free food distribution centers are ramping up to meet the exploding need on all three campuses with determination, resourcefulness and extreme empathy. They are the UW Food Pantry in Seattle, the Husky Pantry at UW Bothell and The Pantry at UW Tacoma.

Every dollar makes a difference.

By the numbers

The most recent National Postsecondary Student Aid Study by the U.S. Department of Education found that 23% of undergraduates and 12% of graduate students experienced food insecurity in 2020—rates higher than the general public. The study also revealed that 35% of Black students, 30% of Indigenous students and 25% of Hispanic students experienced basic needs insecurity.

In a more localized 2019 study by Urban@UW, 20% of UW Students reported that they often or sometimes ran out of food and lacked the money to buy enough to eat.

Judging by each UW food bank’s recent accounting, the need has only grown since pre-pandemic days.

The UW Food Pantry served the university’s largest campus community at a rate of 600 visits per week last quarter, which has continued to increase through the first month of 2024. The Pantry at UW Tacoma is now serving 100 students a week, according to manager Dalia Susana. And visits to the Husky Pantry at UW Bothell have doubled each quarter over the past year, reaching more than 420 in the fall “and we continue to be just as busy in the new year,” says Heather Kenning, manager of UW Bothell’s Basic Needs Program. “We have started seeing a major increase in usage.”

Economic conundrum

The recent expansion of campus food insecurity comes down to basic economics. High inflation, supply chain woes, rising labor costs, insufficient housing and other fiscal forces have sent the costs of rent, fuel, food and basic necessities soaring in the Puget Sound region.

Although systemic racial inequities make populations of color most susceptible, just about everyone is feeling the pressure on their budgets. And students tend to be especially vulnerable.

It is a myth that college is a bastion of the affluent and entitled alone. In reality, many students live on an economic razor’s edge, surviving on financial aid, loans and other campus resources that can often run out. Savings are often minimal. Work hours can be limited by the demands of schoolwork. And students often don’t qualify for benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

At UW, the large population of first-generation students face extra financial challenges, according to Green. “The reality is that people go to college and try to make it work for the promise of a better future. But the resources available are not always sufficient.”

Beyond the stereotype of the “starving student” who eats only ramen, Kenning says that the unique economic situation in our region shines a spotlight on how inflation and the extreme rise in the cost of living are impacting students. “Food insecurity in our community means students are having to make tough choices about housing, tuition and groceries,” she says, “while keeping up with school.”

In this equation, food is often first to be sacrificed.

Critical community resources

On a weekday in January, the wire shelves of the compact UW Food Pantry are stacked with canned goods and bags of rice, oats, dried noodles, flour and dried beans. Bins of onions and potatoes are filled from 50-pound bags. A double-wide refrigerator is stocked with milks, salads and ready-to-eat meals. Another shelf displays hygiene products, diapers, Covid tests and Narcan doses.

The Seattle campus pantry collected and distributed nearly 40,000 pounds of grocery products last quarter alone. Inventory derives from contributions to the Any Hungry Husky Fund (44%), food drives (19%), individual food donations (12%), food recovery from UW Housing & Food Services and on-campus retail partners (10%) and Northwest Harvest (8%). Additionally, an organization called Community Loaves delivers fresh baked bread and cookies twice a month. And the high demand for fresh produce is boosted in season by twice-weekly deliveries from the UW Farm. “Overwhelmingly, folks want produce,” Green says. “But they’re also looking for staples. It seems simple, but with prices going up, they hold people over longer.”

This complicated operation is orchestrated by an overlapping team of four part-time staff (Green is a graduate student at the Evans School of Public Policy) and upwards of 80 volunteers each week.

They communicate on social media, coordinate food drives, receive and process donations and source food from local establishments. “Our team is fantastic,” Green gushes. “I can’t say enough about them. They are so passionate and problem-solving and collaborative. And then we have amazing volunteers who bring energy and potential solutions to our challenges. We’re trying to level everyone up.”

The fuel to thrive

With the need growing so rapidly, each of the pantries are struggling to keep pace. Doing so will require increased donations of cash and food, via drop-offs, food drives or even Amazon orders. And they need more volunteer hands to keep the shelves stocked and the community served.

“Helping us keep our inventory is our biggest need,” says Kenning. “Hosting food drives or donation drives are extremely important in helping us keep up. We do a pretty good job as a campus community rallying to support the Husky Pantry, but having assistance from people who can leverage their community resources helps us expand our reach.”

The Pantry at UW Tacoma’s would benefit from contributions of time and food items. But the greatest need is “funding, funding, funding,” according to Susana. “Due to budget cuts, we have lost many of our donors, vendors and funds. We know that the volunteers will show if we have the need for them, which will be when we increase our funding.”

Green at the UW Food Pantry echoes the call of her colleagues. “We rely on donations. Food drives—in person or virtual—are really impactful. And spreading the word is really important.”

That includes advocating for more resources from Olympia addressing food insecurity on UW campuses.

“More awareness is always my answer,” Green says.

Because these pantries are providing an essential resource, making miracles out of shoe-string budgets. “We provide food for students who are food insecure,” says Susana. “This allows them to get the necessary nutrients that they need to thrive in class and gives them the opportunity to be at the same level and mindset as their peeps.”

“For anyone affiliated with UW who is experiencing food insecurity, we are here to support you,” Green says. “We can’t provide everything. We’re one tool in a toolbox. “But we know that food insecurity is detrimental to health, impacts attention span, ability to concentrate—ability to do anything! We don’t want anyone to be hungry.”

Get to know your UW food pantries

UW Food Pantry

• Established in 2016 as a series of pop-ups before moving into its permanent home in Poplar Hall in 2018.
• Located in 210 Poplar Hall, 1311 NE 41st St.
• Open Monday through Friday (various hours)
• Offers shelf-stable and fresh food, baked goods, hygiene products, Covid tests, Narcan
• Serves UW students and staff (with UW ID); one visit per week to receive 2-3 days of food

Husky Pantry at UW Bothell

• Founded in 2016 as an initiative through the Student Diversity Center; now part of the Health and Wellness Resource Center (HaWRC).
• Located in 120 ARC (Health and Wellness Research Center)
• Open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Offers grocery staples, seasonal products, hygiene and toiletry items (all non-perishable)
• Serves UW Bothell students (with UW ID)

The Pantry at UW Tacoma

• Created by the Center for Equity and Inclusion in 2013 in response to a survey revealing that 40% of UT Tacoma students were food insecure.
• Located in 104 Dougan Hall; moving to 010 William Phillip Hall (WPH) on Feb. 16.
• Open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 4;45 p.m.
• Offers shelf-stable and perishable food accommodating different dietary and cultural needs plus hygiene items.
• Serves UW Tacoma students (with UW ID); one visit per week; up to 20 items per visit.

How to give or get help

Visit the websites of the UW Food Pantry (Seattle), The Pantry (Tacoma) and Husky Pantry (Bothell) to learn how you can access their services or support their work through donations of money, food or time.

You can also give financial support by setting up a gift through the UW Combined Fund Drive. University of Washington Husky Hunger Relief (#1482050); University of Washington Tacoma Pantry (#1482576); University of Washington Bothell Food Pantry (#1483077).

Volunteering is a fun way to support your favorite nonprofit organization – plus, research demonstrates that it’s good for you. Whether you are able to volunteer on a regular basis, or just have the occasional hour or two to spare, you can support a cause you are passionate about.

Why volunteer?

Volunteering is good for you. In study after study, researchers have found that people who volunteer lead longer, healthier, happier lives. Volunteerism correlates positively to stronger self-confidence, better quality of friendships and improved job prospects.

Volunteering connects you with others and builds more robust social networks. Feeling lonely? Volunteer! Want to make some new friends? Commit to a shared activity with someone, and watch your friendship blossom. Bonus: because volunteering often helps people discover their passions, it also helps develop the ability to tell one’s own story.

Volunteering fosters a sense of purpose. Giving your time and energy with no expectation of compensation – that is, being altruistic – gives meaning to one’s life. Particularly for those undergoing a life change such as retirement, empty nest or the death of a loved one, volunteering can help relieve stress, improve self-esteem and promote emotional stability.

Volunteering is good for your career. Volunteer experience on your resume demonstrates to potential employers that you can take initiative, overcome challenges and learn new skills. Significantly, volunteering can grow your professional network and may even lead to your next job.

Volunteering financially supports organizations. In Washington state, each hour you volunteer saves a nonprofit an average of $30.00 an hour.

Volunteering can build teams

Volunteering with work colleagues is a great way to bond over a shared experience. This is especially valuable in the era of hybrid work.

“One of my favorite things about being a volunteer coordinator for the Combined Fund Drive is having the opportunity to interact with members of our large department that I otherwise would not meet in my daily work,” says Brooke Emrich, program operations specialist in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. “Whether they are asking me a question about how the CFD works, participating in a fundraiser or dropping off items for a drive that I am organizing, I love meeting people and also seeing the generosity of our department.”

Emrich enjoys highlighting the work of nonprofits, especially the ones she is passionate about supporting, like Facing Homelessness, PAWS and Solid Ground. In April, she’s organizing a group of departmental faculty and staff to volunteer for a 3-4 hour shift at Solid Ground’s Marra Farm as part of their annual celebration of Medical Laboratory Professionals Week.

More than just a “cool opportunity to spend time outside and learn a bit about growing food and farming while helping them keep the farm running,” she says she’s really “looking forward to the opportunity to get to know some of my fellow DLMP members.”

Ready to get working?

Below are a wide variety of local volunteer opportunities, put together in partnership with the UWCFD, that you can participate in on your own, with your family or with a group of coworkers.

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Get outside

Washington Trails Association offers a variety of opportunities, from local one-day work parties to multi-day volunteer vacations, working to restore and maintain our state’s public lands.

In an effort to make all 2,500 acres of Seattle’s parkland healthy and accessible to all, Green Seattle Partnership offers a variety of local restoration, reforestation and work parties every week with over 1,500 events a year at 155 area parks.

Want to plant trees? Seattle’s Tree Ambassador program engages volunteers in leading educational tree walks, hosting tree stewardship events and planting trees with the Trees for Neighborhoods program.

Shark Garden: Located in White Center, this garden provides learning opportunities for students in the Highline School District and provided more that 2,500 pounds of food to the White Center Food Bank annually. Volunteer to help with garden maintenance, harvesting food for the food bank, construction projects, teaching classes, and more.

Outdoors For All is a national leader in delivering adaptive and therapeutic recreation for children and adults with disabilities. Programming includes snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross country and downhill skiing, cycling, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, youth and adult day camps, yoga and weekend excursions.

City Fruit volunteers give their time in many ways to help support the mission of promoting the cultivation of urban fruit in order to nourish people, prevent food waste, and build community. Group and individual volunteer opportunities are available. Volunteer shifts are often on a Saturday for 2-4 hours and include training.

Puget SoundKeeper Alliance has weekly kayak cleanup patrols on Wednesdays from 11 am – 1 pm on Lake Union.

For animal lovers

Seattle Humane, PAWS and Homeward Pet are great organizations that offer plenty of in-shelter volunteer opportunities such as clinic assistants and animal socializers. Seattle Animal Shelter particularly needs foster homes for dogs, cats and critters.

Seattle Veterinary Outreach, which provides free care for the pets of homeless people, has immediate need of medical staff and clinic support staff.

Want to be a puppy sitter? Summit Assistance Dogs’ single greatest volunteer need is for loving and devoted foster homes and sitter for their puppies and adolescent dogs training to become service pets.

Pasado’s Safe Haven needs volunteers for a variety of roles, including collecting and distributing donations at their pet food bank.

Little Bit Therapeutic Riding: Take care of the horses used for the therapeutic riding by grooming and tacking horses before class, supporting riders while in class, leading horses, and putting away horses after class. We encourage a weekly placement and ask for a commitment of at least six months.

Pet Partners is always looking for  people to register with their animal to become a therapy animal team and volunteer within your community visiting people in need at hospitals, retirement centers, schools, libraries, etc. Pet Partners registers dogs, cats, equine, llamas and alpacas, pigs, birds, guinea pigs, rabbits, and rats as therapy animals.

Have an adorable animal? Nominate them to become Pet Partners Pet of the Year! Your pet doesn’t need to be a registered therapy animal to “volunteer” and fundraise.

Use your skills

Create fun DIY displays at a local Habitat for Humanity store – it’s not all hammers and nails. Want to build? Project sites are now accepting volunteers in Lake City and Renton for individuals and groups.

Cookies baked with love is a program for volunteers to bake cookies at their home for Recovery Café members attending a monthly resource connection day at the new South Lake Union café. This monthly event offers a variety of other opportunities as well.

Bake bread at home for Community Loaves, a grassroots community bread brigade supporting local food banks with fresh and nutritious home-baked bread.

Do you enjoy cooking? Use your skills to provide healthy, delicious dinner for young people in need at YouthCare. Cook at home and drop off the food so youth can get the nutrition they need before they go to work or school the next day. This can be a one-time opportunity, or you can deliver food on a regular basis.

Seattle World School is looking for volunteers to tutor immigrant and refugee students during and after school. Students range from K-12 and subjects tutored include English, math, science, social studies, etc. SWS also needs volunteer field trip chaperones and gym and sports safety assistants.

Seattle Recreative collects donations of used materials that can be used for crafting and art that would otherwise end up in a landfill from local businesses and individuals to redistribute to our community through a retail store and classes. Volunteers help sorted donated crafting supplies, prep supplies for classes, and other projects needed that day.

Bike Works needs volunteers to refurbish donated bicycles by fixing flat tires, replacing broken parts and fine-tuning components like brakes, gears and bearing systems. A staff member will help you choose a project that matches your skill level. We work with all levels of experience!

Seattle/King County Clinic brings together healthcare organizations, civic agencies, non-profits, private businesses and volunteers from across the State of Washington to produce a giant free health clinic at Seattle Center. Volunteers are needed April 27-30, 2023 for a variety of roles, particularly dental and eye care professionals, interpreters as well as social workers and health insurance navigators.

Volunteer from home

Amnesty International’s Amnesty Decoders network of digital volunteers helps conduct research into global human rights violations.

Help make the Smithsonian Institution’s collections more accessible by volunteering online to transcribe historical documents or edit Wikipedia articles related to their artifacts and research.

For those fluent in more than one language, Translators Without Borders combines language skills with humanitarian aid. Volunteers provide translations (10 million words a year!) to international organizations that focus on crisis relief, health and education.

Tutor underserved K-12 students online one or more hours per week in math, science, reading or writing.

Neighborhood House needs volunteers to record themselves reading children’s stories, physical and voice actors for home visit practice scenarios, and bilingual translators for program fliers. High-needs languages include Arabic, Farsi, Tigrinya, Oromo, Amharic, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Human services

Family Law CASA of King County needs volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) for children in court during custody situations. Training is provided and the position is largely virtual.

The ElderFriends program connects volunteers with isolated adults for regular one-on-one visits (currently by phone) in Puget Sound.

ROOTS Young Adult Shelter relies on volunteers to set up and clean up shelter areas, prepare and serve meals, hand out supplies, build positive relationships with guests, and more.

Legal Voice: A Seattle-based nonprofit org that advocates for women and reproductive justice issues. You don’t need a legal background to volunteer with them.

Exhale Pro-Voice: Exhale operates a volunteer-staffed peer-support text line for folks to seek support around their abortion process.

Food Lifeline offers teams, families and individuals 2.5 hour windows to help repackage food for delivery to more than 275 food banks, shelters and meal programs.

WestSide Baby: lend a hand in the warehouse and help sort donations of gently used children’s items and prepare them for distribution to local social service agencies that support families in need.

Path With Art provides art classes and a caring community to adults who have experienced trauma. Volunteer to support class teachers and provide a supportive and welcoming presence, connect with and assist participants, take photographs, take attendance, and generally model good behavior.

Chicken Soup Brigade needs volunteer drivers to deliver groceries and fresh meals to clients throughout King and Snohomish counties.

Phinney Neighborhood Association’s Hot Meals Program volunteers help by picking up food donations, hosting food drives and preparing, cooking, serving and cleaning up weekly meals.

Need more ideas?

• The United Way of King County website has dozens of regional opportunities! Reach out, get involved with something that excites you, and be ready for that warm glow feeling.
• The American Red Cross relies on volunteers to carry out 90% of its volunteer work in preventing and responding to humanitarian crises. From boots-on-the-ground opportunities to behind the scenes work in outreach and fundraising, there is something for everyone.
• The UW Combined Fund Drive continuously compiles volunteer opportunities with our 5,000 member organizations.
• Visit VolunteerMatch and find an opportunity that is just right for you.
• Idealist.org is a nonprofit connecting people and organizations for jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities and graduate school fairs to help people advance their social impact career.

Want to donate more than time?

Set up monthly payroll deduction or make a one-time gift through the UW Combined Fund Drive (UWCFD) to any of thousands of charitable organizations locally, nationally and internationally.

You can also log and track your volunteer hours through the UWCFD volunteer tracker tool  (UW net ID required).

Know of a great volunteer opportunity in our area? Drop it in the comments!

In a world that can often feel fast-moving and complex, many of us are searching for ways to create more meaning and connection in our daily lives. Contributing to the greater good, whether through volunteering, giving or everyday mindful choices, can offer a powerful sense of purpose and belonging.

If you’ve been wanting to make a difference but aren’t sure where to begin, you’re not alone. Finding ways to take action that align with your values can start small and grow over time. The UW Combined Fund Drive (UWCFD) is here to help you explore causes that matter to you and discover simple, impactful ways to get involved.

As with any lifestyle change, setting small goals and turning them into regular habits can make all the difference. And chances are, you’re already making a positive impact from recycling and taking public transportation to supporting local nonprofits or choosing sustainable products.

Learn more about social impact

Looking for more? Take a deeper dive into the following suggestions. Of course, it’s up to you to determine what best fits your skills, experiences, and goals.

Learning about the history of social movements in America is a great place to start. The UW Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium’s various projects focus on movements impacting the Pacific Northwest with oral histories, maps, photos, articles and original research.

Check out these resources on social impact compiled by the UWCFD to help you develop bridge-building and activism skills.

Acknowledging your bias and engaging in truthful reflection on your own beliefs and habits of mind allows you to move forward in effecting social impact and avoid microaggressions – the subtle, every day, frequently unintentional interactions or behaviors that communicate some sort of bias toward historically marginalized groups.

Engage with independent media outlets including street newspapers, independent Black newspapers, nonprofit news outlets, and news sites focused on communities of color.

Ready to act?

In the article Integrating activism into everyday life, researchers at think-tank Effective Activist note the two most impactful actions an individual can take to create change:

Choose an impactful career and volunteer wisely.

The average person works about 80,000 hours in their lifetime, making career possibly the most impactful choice a person could make to create positive change.

Even without making a drastic career change, those whose work involves research, advocacy, direct work, or earning to give can have an impact. Getting involved with civic groups and nonprofit boards is also a great way to bring your values into action and strengthen your community.

• Younger professionals in the greater Seattle area can get involved with programs like the United Way’s Emerging Leaders 365 or, specifically for people of color, Project LEAD. The Young Professionals International Network operates a robust Seattle cohort focused on critical world issues.
• Older activists may want to check out org, an organization that brings older and younger change makers together to solve problems, bridge divides, and create a better future for all. Aging for Life helps citizens become more informed, engaged, and conscious about aging and ageism with an emphasis on social justice and climate activism.

Seattle Works is a local civic organization helping people connect to causes and to each other through a wide range of volunteer service, leadership training, and meet-up experiences, with particular emphasis on dismantling racism and decolonizing the workplace.

Support nonprofit organizations through financial contributions or volunteerism.

Even the most efficient nonprofits need donor support to be effective.

Financial contributions to organizations you care about increase their capacity for doing good while allowing you to boost a cause about which you are passionate.Giving to a nonprofit demonstrates who you are, what you value, and the change you want to see in the world.

Not sure who or what to support? The UWCFD, your workplace giving program, has vetted hundreds of nonprofit organizations and features a wide variety of organizations with which you can connect. Do some research on a nonprofit’s website and look the organization up in CharityNavigator to determine their financial allocations.

Some questions to ask as you research a prospective nonprofit:

• Does the organization do work that makes you feel proud, joyful, relieved or hopeful?
• What is their mission and vision and are these achievable?
• Are they able to respond quickly to changing priorities?
• Is the organization working locally, nationally, or internationally, and to what degree is this important to you?
• Does the organization provide opportunities for you to learn more and get involved?

If you determine that an organization meets your needs, consider setting up monthly payroll deduction or making a one-time gift through the UWCFD.