Any current, matriculated student at Western who is experiencing some level of food insecurity can fill out the form to request meals with Swipe Out Hunger. The student should be enrolled in the quarter when the request is submitted, the student can be an undergraduate or a graduate student, and there is no minimum number of credits required for enrollment.

Starting the first day of classes for fall, winter, and spring quarter, both the donation and the request forms open. Students can donate through the Friday before crunch week or request meals through the Wednesday of finals week. Swipe Out Hunger does not operate in summer quarter.

Any student with a current meal plan can donate meal swipes. Unlimited meal plan holders can donate up to the number of guest meals available (up to 10 guest meals in a quarter). Students with another meal plan can donate up to as many meals as they have.

Yes! In each submission form, you can request up to 15 meals per request. If you need more meal swipes later in the quarter, fill out an additional form to request more meals.

You can generally apply up to 4 times in a quarter, and you can apply each quarter that you are a current Western student.

Please allow up to 5 business days for your request to be processed. You will receive an email from WWU Dining Services when the meals have been added to your account.

Yes! Those donations are very much appreciated! Starting in fall 2022, the program changed to allow meals donated to fill requests from earlier in the quarter if there were not enough donated meals or other funding to cover the request as history has shown many students donate in the last half of the quarter.

For students who request meals, the value of the meals is required to be accounted for in the financial aid package (if the student is a financial aid recipient). The Financial Aid Department reviews the Swipe Out Hunger request and will approve funds as long as it does not negatively affect a student’s financial aid. Students who do not receive financial aid can still apply to receive Swipe Out Hunger. Contact the financial aid office if you still have questions about this.

This matches the meal plan system in place. Swipe Out Hunger meal swipes, like any meal swipes used in the dining halls, can be used for the current quarter.

After the program restarted in winter 2022, there were 2249 meals issued to students in winter and spring of 2022.

Western currently has five food pantries on campus open to all students and supplied in part by Miracle Food Network. In general, each pantry is open when the building is open. Contact each department or college for more information.

• CEED Food Pantry (located in Miller Hall 150)
• Fairhaven College Pantry (located on the 3rd floor of Fairhaven College)
• Journalism Pantry (located in CF by 257)
• VU WHOLE Pantry (located in VU 435)
• Linguistics Food Pantry (located in BH 403)

Miller Market and Haven Pod accepts EBT cards as a form of payment for qualifying purchases. Apply for Washington Basic Food (known nationally as SNAP benefits) and receive an EBT card if you qualify. Contact WWU Dining with questions about using the EBT card, see what eligible purchases you can make with an EBT card at, and apply now!

WWU’s 5-acre, student-driven farm on south campus is a home for all students engage in ecosystem restoration, community building, and food justice. Located between Fairhaven and Buchanan Towers. Engage with your campus community garden by getting a garden plot, volunteering, and pick your own free food. Learn more about Outback Farm.

The Sustainability Engagement Institute allows students to sign up with Viva Farms to purchase a local organic produce box. It is available on a sliding scale and accepts EBT. Boxes are available for weekly pick up at High St Hall. Learn more about Western’s community supported agriculture program and sign up today.

WWU students who need emergency food funding for a few days can seek assistance by contacting the Financial Aid Services Center.