Students looking to stock up on snacks this Winter Quarter will no longer have to brave the cold or the daunting walk home carrying overflowing grocery bags. PantryPackers, a student-run grocery delivery service , will begin this January through MyCat Enterprises.
Although leaders are still figuring out the details of the program, PantryPackers will allow students to order and pay for various food items online and will deliver packages to their dorms two days a week, said Communication sophomore Bruna Giberti, manager for Pantry Packers.
“A lot of people don’t have cars, so we just want to create a service that is convenient and helpful,” she said. “Especially during Winter Quarter, people don’t want to leave their dorms, so to have a supply in their room will be better.”
When the group first begins its operation during Winter Quarter, it will start off with the bigger dorms, such as Allison Hall, 1820 Chicago Ave. Giberti said the members hope to eventually expand and provide the service to all on-campus residences, as well as to off-campus students.
PantryPackers hopes to hire students to help with grocery pick-up on Tuesdays and Saturdays and deliver them to the residences on Wednesdays and Sundays, Gilberti said. Crew members will also help package all the goods for distribution. Group organizers are still working on the logistics for refrigerating the groceries between pickup and delivery.
Weinberg freshman Eric Reiner, who got involved with PantryPackers through the activities fair during Wildcat Welcome Week, said he thinks the program has the potential to positively impact the student experience.
“It’s an awesome group, and we’ve made a lot of progress,” Reiner said. “It’s a very helpful service for everyone, no matter how much you want to buy, especially since we’re going to places for wholesale.”
Giberti also said the group aims to provide students with cheaper alternatives to Whole Foods Market or Stop & Shop’s Peapod service.
MyCat Enterprisesalso founded the Deuce Caboose service during Spring Quarter 2009, which offers students a ride to and from the Mark II Lounge, 7436 N. Western Ave., on Thursday nights for $2 each way.
MyCat Enterprises is looking to open more programs next quarter, such as offering online course booklets, in addition to continuing operation of the Deuce Caboose.
Weinberg sophomore Alessio Manti, owner and chief executive officer of MyCat Enterprises, said the objective of all the divisions of the student-run business is to help improve Northwestern.
And Giberti stressed PantryPackers’ mission of affordability and convenience.
“This is a service that a lot of Northwestern students want and need and can benefit from,” she said. “A lot of people don’t necessarily think about the grocery delivery service, but then they’ll realize that it’s actually helpful.”
erinkim2013@u.northwestern.edu
SNAPSHOT: PantryPackers’ plans
- Allow students to order and pay for various food items online
- Hire students to help with grocery pick-up on Tuesdays and Saturdays
- Deliver groceries to residences on Wednesdays and Sundays
Source: Bruna Giberti, PantryPackers’ manager
