Inspirational, self-driven, inclusive and a change maker are a few of the words those who work closely with Wildcat Pantry Coordinator Jaeda Nelson used to describe her. As the first person to ever hold the position since June 2022, Nelson has established connections with donors and partners and has largely contributed to the overall growth of the pantry in a short period.  

President Wohlpart created the position last year when Nelson and her fellow PUSH (Presidents United to Solve Hunger) club members approached him with the need for a professional staff to oversee the administrative aspects of the pantry as it continued to grow. According to Nelson, she was among the candidates and was selected for the position by her peers. 

“Being a first-generation student, it was important that I was able to provide some kind of experience for other students that have similar experiences as me to feel like when they come to campus, they’re taken care of and that people recognize them and they see them,” Nelson said.

Wohlpart explained the importance of the pantry and how he acknowledged the need for the position. 

“This is an imperative for the university and an imperative for me as President to make sure we are providing all of the support for students that they need,” Wohlpart said. “Especially so that they can focus on their learning experience and not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.”

According to Nelson, she initially didn’t expect to get the position herself, but saw the need for someone to ensure the sustainability of the pantry. 

“It wasn’t something that maybe I expected,” Nelson said. “I think that’s been a nice thing that I’ve kind of just been leaning into work that makes me feel good and makes me feel like I can contribute to something bigger than myself.”

PUSH club and pantry background  

According to their website, PUSH (Presidents United  to Solve Hunger) is a consortium of universities from around the world that have the collective mission to end hunger and poverty, both locally and globally. CWU launched its chapter in 2015 to help combat food insecurity on campus.  

Nelson explained that while most universities’ PUSH chapters tend to be led by faculty and full-time staff, CWU’s chapter was completely student-led since its conception. According to CWU’s PUSH club website, the Wildcat Pantry initially started out as a student-led initiative through the club. 

Prior to having a space for the pantry in Brooks Library, the PUSH club would provide free food for students using boxes and shelves throughout campus through neighborhood donations from what Nelson called a ‘walk and knock.’ Nelson joined the club during her second year at CWU in 2018 and became President of the club during her senior year. 

Nelson explained that she and her peers had the idea for a full-time staff to take on responsibilities of the pantry to offload the duties from the students who ran the pantry without paid positions. Nelson began her one-year contract in the position after she graduated with a degree in business from CWU in June 2022. 

“With my full-time position, I’m able to actually oversee this as a university program and the push club can be a club now, allowing them to actually do normal student things and not have to worry about the emotional and physical labor that’s required of students to run a pantry program,” Nelson said. “So right now where we sit is the PUSH club is kind of their standalone identity, being a club focused a lot on food efforts in basic need access for students and making sure that students are aware of resources.”

Executive Office and Project Manager Dania Cochran, Nelson’s supervisor said that one of Nelson’s goals going into the new position was to reduce the stigma associated with using a pantry on campus. 

“Jaeda really looked at what partnerships needed to be happening on campus and maintained them so that we could continue replenishing our food sources, replenishing our donations.” Cochran said. 

According to Wohlpart and Cochran, although the position was new and would inevitably come with challenges for Nelson, her background with PUSH gave her a foundation for success. 

“Part of it was her passion, her dedication and her knowledge,” Wohlpart said. “She clearly was passionate about this issue and dedicated to it and she had developed a great deal of knowledge about how to do this work at a very high level. She had built the relationships she had ongoing with the other students.”

Accomplishments and contributions

During the time that Nelson has been in position, she has established relationships with community members and businesses that have helped her form partnerships with various donors. According to Nelson some of the donors include Costco, FISH community food bank, Fred Meyer, Target, Central Park Apartments, The Verge and various alumni. 

According to Nelson, some donors such as Central Park Apartments and the Verge held drives to donate to the pantry. Local businesses such as Ironhouse Brewery and Cornerstone Pie would also hold special day sales and donate a percentage of their proceeds to the pantry.

Cochran and Wohlpart credit Nelson’s inspirational leadership for the constant pouring of donations and number of people willing to help the pantry. 

“She has built bridges and built communities so that there’s a large number of people who are excited about volunteering and supporting the pantry,” Wohlpart said. 

Wohlpart cited one example in which faculty and staff from the president’s office and human resources volunteered to keep the pantry open during winter break due to Nelson’s influence. 

According to Cochran, Nelson’s inclusivity and love for community has also contributed to the success of the pantry. 

Cochran cites the Wildcat Essentials Coalition as an initiative Nelson launched that demonstrates how much she acknowledges the importance of community. 

According to Nelson, the Wildcat Essentials Coalition is a union of about 20 different departments, organization groups, representatives off and on campus with the goal of amplifying and advocating for basic needs at CWU. Cochran said Nelson acknowledged that the nature of her position required multiple voices to help make decisions, as her job is to serve students and faculty. 

“I think that really helped her be successful, as she knew that this is not something she can do alone,” Cochran said. 

According to Cochran and Wohlpart, apart from Nelson’s inclusivity and community-oriented nature, her initiative and self-motivation also contribute to the success of the pantry. 

“Jaeda has a maturity and wisdom beyond her years and I was able to discern that in our first meeting,” Wohlpart said. “In the year she’s been in the role, all of us who have been here to support her have watched her soar. We’ve provided support and feedback, but she has really done this on her own.”

Apart from bringing in new donors and partners to the university, Nelson also created new events for students to participate in.

“Most of the work that she did as the wildcat pantry coordinator was to not only better the CWU community but to make sure that students were having basic needs and everything that they needed to succeed at the university,” ASCWU President Luis Reyes said. “But also at the same time, she did put a lot of focus on making fun, new activities, new events that would really bring the community together.”

According to Reyes, one of the events that he curated with Nelson with her taking the lead was the Sharing Abundance festival during the fall of 2022.

 In addition to bringing in new donors and partners to the university, Nelson also created new events for students to participate in.

“Most of the work that she did as the wildcat pantry coordinator was to not only better the CWU community but to make sure that students were having basic needs and everything that they needed to succeed at the university,” Associated Students of Central Washington University (ASCWU) President Luis Reyes said. “But also at the same time, she did put a lot of focus on making fun, new activities, new events that would really bring the community together.”

According to Reyes, one of the events that he curated with Nelson with her taking the lead was the Sharing Abundance festival during the fall of 2022.

According to Nelson, one of the biggest challenges she faced going into the position was trying to figure out what her position looked like and what opportunities were there.

“There’s no one that trained me on things I was supposed to know,” Nelson said. “And so, I’ve been just trying to learn as I go. I’ve been learning from students from other universities.”

Nelson said she met with the food pantry coordinator at Washington State University and connected with other food pantries through the Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit to help understand her role.

Nelson also credited Sasha Wohlpart and Cochran as two of the people who’ve helped her navigate her role as well as student volunteers, ASCWU leaders, and campus partners.  

As her one-year contract comes to an end, Nelson said she has enjoyed working with different partners to serve the needs of the students.

“I think we tell a very unique story on this campus,” Nelson said. “And I think we’ve been able to build a very beautiful legacy that I think not people know a lot of people get to do. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be in this position to do that and involve as many people as possible.”