Opened in February 2016, the Shocker Support Locker at Wichita State University provides free nutritional and functional resources to students, faculty and staff who need them. The locker aims to alleviate food insecurity on campus and contribute to the health and wellbeing of the WSU community.
What started out as a small food pantry, has blossomed into a resource that has helped more than 5,600 visitors since the end of 2018 alone. Today, the locker provides a range of nonperishable food items, personal hygiene products and — newly added — baby care supplies, including food, formula, diapers and wipes.
Starting May 26, a limited supply of cloth masks purchased by WSU and made by GoCreate, a Koch collaborative, will be available at the locker, as well as the RSC info desk and the Shocker Hall front desk.
In order to keep the community healthy and safe, the locker itself is not currently open to the public. However, WSU students, faculty and staff who need items from the locker can fill out an online order form for curbside pickup. A maximum of 25 items can be ordered per person per week.
After receiving an order, the Shocker Support Locker staff will collect the needed items and bring them to the Heskett Center parking lot to be picked up. Pickup times are from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays. Beginning in mid-May, the locker will also be open on Mondays.
The Shocker Support Locker staff would like everyone at WSU to know that they are here for the community, and they want to help as much as they can.
“It is important for us to provide this service because helping students, faculty and staff during these times with this service will help them while working and studying from home,” said Collin Munson, the Shocker Support Locker graduate assistant. “This is how we’ve approached it in the past, and the coronavirus will not stop us from finding ways to help those with needs.”
If you would like to make a monetary donation to the locker, you can do so on the contribution website. To donate food, hygiene or baby products, you can email sga.supportlocker@wichita.edu to schedule a drop off time. Items that run out most often include rice, pasta sauce, canned tomatoes, condiments, shampoo, conditioner and toilet paper.
For more information, please visit wichita.edu/shockersupportlocker.
