On Sept. 22, Pierce College Puyallup unveiled the college’s first climate-controlled, 24-hour access food locker provided by GoodRoots Northwest, a non-profit organization addressing food insecurity across the Pacific Northwest by connecting rural and underserved communities with fresh, locally sourced food.
“We believe meeting students’ basic needs – like access to nutritious food – is foundational to their academic success,” said Julie White, Chancellor and CEO of the Pierce College District. “We have seen a 283% increase in food pantry use on our Puyallup campus over the past two years. This tells us the need is real, and it's growing. These lockers provide a lifeline, providing access, dignity, and support that will allow students to focus on learning.”
The food locker at Pierce College Puyallup will provide nutritious food exclusively to Pierce College students through a closed ordering system. Students can select their groceries from the Goodroots Northwest website or app, select the Pierce College Puyallup location for pickup, and pick up their order at their convenience after the food has been delivered.
"Eating healthy can be very expensive, and hunger in Pierce County continues to go up," said U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland. "Having Good Roots lockers on campus is a huge benefit to students and the community."
Each Goodroots Northwest locker supports 64 households daily, and over 16,000 visitors annually.
Pierce College is proudly committed to addressing and relieving the everyday, basic needs of our students through partnerships such as this with GoodRoots Northwest. The Pierce College Office of Student Life offers a food and hygiene pantry system available to all current Pierce College students free of charge on both the Fort Steilacoom and Puyallup campuses. Pierce College Fort Steilacoom students can also get weekly access to a rotating stock of non-perishables, canned goods, fresh fruit and vegetables and frozen protein by visiting the Nourish Mobile Food Bank in parking lot D every Wednesday from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. Pierce College students can get support for basic needs such as food and hygiene by visiting the Pierce Advocacy and Resource Connections page on our website.
