Washburn’s Bods Feeding Bods is a student-led program that aims to provide food to struggling Washburn students and faculty for no cost. They serve about 20 Washburn student and faculty members a week.

Bods Feeding Bods, also known as The Exchange, began in 2014 under the leadership of Chase Sachs and Kelsey Rose. The idea came from a case study done by Sachs and Rose, who were senior psychology majors at the time. It was found that the numbers of students and faculty that could not afford regular meals was surprisingly high.

“[The case study] spurred the thought process of: ‘How do we meet that need within the campus resources and the resources provided by the WSGA? How can we fulfill that need to students?’,” said Ben Ciummo, a senior computer science major, and the pantry manager at The Exchange.

Ciummo was brought on to work at the The Exchange by Sachs and Rose, shortly after forming the organization. After they graduated in 2015, Ciummo became the pantry manager and has enjoyed every minute.

“It’s filling a need that a lot of campuses and a lot of this demographic of individuals, faculty and students on college campuses need… For me the best part is just fulfilling its purpose to provide food to those that are in need within the college campus.”

Can Emporia is an annual competition at Washburn against our rivals, Emporia State University. Both campuses aim to collect as many canned goods and non-perishable food items as possible, and the university that collects the most, will win the title. Cans will be collected until Nov. 12, which will hold the annual Washburn vs. Emporia football game.

Bods Feeding Bods are always looking towards the future, hoping to continue to be able to provide more students and faculty with the resources they need.

“We are trying to get the word out, so just to know that it exists in the first place, even every semester when we do tabling and we go to different events and have a table, we are still speaking to people who don’t know about us. For me, the biggest thing that could help would be to get the word out in general, that we do exist,” said Ciummo.

To donate to Bods Feeding Bods, there are donation bins located across campus, including in Mabee Library and in Henderson 19, at The Exchange’s home base.

For more information on getting assistance from The Exchange or to seek out volunteer opportunities, visit Henderson 19 on Mondays from 3 to 6 p.m., or Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

How to donate:

A donation box is located in the Mabee Library

Visit The Exchange donation pantry in Henderson 19

What to donate:

Canned food

Fresh foods such as bread or bananas

Household electronics

Necessities for babies such as diapers or food

How to engage:

Visit The Exchange donation pantry on Mondays and Thursdays

Bring your Washburn ID