Mobile Food Market to Expand EWU Distributions

As food insecurity rises for students and in the broader community alike, Second Harvest Inland Northwest is looking to provide more frequent support in an effort to combat hunger.

To that end, Second Harvest’s Mobile Market—the organization’s “food bank on wheels”—will be making monthly visits to the Cheney campus on Tuesdays during the academic year. As with its brick-and-mortar operations, the Mobile Market will provide free nutrition essentials like canned goods, fruits and veggies, cooking oil and other pantry staples to anyone in need.

This year, the Mobile Market will be parked in front of the Pence Union Building distributing food from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on the following dates: Jan. 13, Feb. 10, March 10, April 7, May 12, July 14, Sept. 15, Oct. 6, Nov. 10, and Dec. 8.

Operations at the Mobile Market benefit from the assistance of multiple EWU student groups. Volunteers from Greek organizations, Lambda Theta Alpha, Alpha Xi Delta and Sigma Nu, as well as campus organizations like CRU, have already dedicated time to help hundreds of students, staff, faculty and community members fill their pantries.

Emily Migliazzo, EWU’s basic needs navigator, serves as head of the university’s Basic Needs Program. She says Second Harvest’s data found that the Mobile Market at EWU aided more than 450 people in the month of November, a substantial increase from the fall of last year. Some recipients, Migliazzo said, were teenage students picking up groceries for their families ahead of the holiday season.

In the fall quarter of the 2025-2026 school year, the EWU Food Pantry Program served 3,871 students, Migliazzo said.

Migliazzo says recent federal cuts to SNAP and other supplemental nutrition programs have exacerbated the risk of food insecurity and made nutrition support more essential than ever before.

Migliazzo’s data show that the uptick in visits to the Mobile Market is part of a larger pattern of need, and that EWU’s brick and mortar food pantry, located in Tawanka Hall, has also gotten busier. The pantry served almost 12,000 people during the 2024-2025 academic year — a 65% increase from the 7,000 served in 2023-2024.

There is some good news, Migliazzo says. Partners such as Second Harvest, Northwest Harvest, CHAS, STCU and other private donors have recognized the new levels of need and stepped up to help the EWU Food Pantry Program meet demand and keep shelves stocked. “However,” Migliazzo added, “they are still not always as full as we would like them to be.”

If you need help, visit the EWU Food Pantry website for a map of food cabinets on campus and pantry hours of operation and, also, check out the Mobile Food Market. Please email foodpantry@ewu.edu or message @ewu_foodpantries on Instagram with questions or if you need accommodations.

You can help in this effort by donating food, funds and time:

Give Food: Here is a list of the most needed items:

• Hearty soups (vegetable beef, chicken noodle, etc.
• Canned tuna
• Snacks like granola/ protein bars, trail mix, fruit snacks, popcorn
• Grains, including white and brown rice, quinoa, wheat and gluten free pasta
• Cooking oils
• Breakfast foods, such as oatmeal, cereal, coffee, tea, shelf-stable milk, etc.
• Spices, such as salt, pepper, lemon pepper, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, turmeric, cayenne, taco seasoning mix, garlic powder, etc.
• Condiments, such as Ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, salad dressings, alfredo sauce etc.
• Hygiene products, including menstrual items, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, bar soap, razors
• Helpful donating tip: Please make sure items are undamaged, with dates that are not expired and appealing to eat. Don’t donate something you wouldn’t eat yourself or feed your own family.

Give Funds: EWU is holding its annual Squirrel Day fundraiser to support the EWU Food Pantry Program. You can make a gift online.

Give Time: If you would like to volunteer, please email foodpantry@ewu.edu or message @ewu_foodpantries on Instagram.