Any University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree student can shop at The Open Seat. 

We understand food insecurity can look different for different people. Please stop in if you think The Open Seat and its services may be helpful for you and your household or make it easier to be a student! 

At our East Campus Mall location, please reserve an appointment using the link below to shop during our open hours. When you arrive, you will show the staff member working the front desk your confirmation email. Please bring bags to carry your groceries.

At our Eagle Heights pop-up distribution, please fill out the form linked below to place an order for pick-up. The order form should be submitted by Friday at noon before the Wednesday you intend to pick up. The online form will ask for the quantity of dry goods, eggs, milk, bread, and produce you would like. It will also ask for demographic information. This information is kept secure. You will pick up your order in a distribution line after checking in with The Open Seat Staff. Please bring bags to carry your groceries. Distribution occurs weekly.

For East Campus Mall shopping, all you need is yourself and a device to show your appointment confirmation email. We have grocery bags or boxes for transporting food, but we appreciate it when folks bring their own bags or use a reusable tote! 

For Eagle Heights pick-up, bring yourself, the name of the person who placed the order, and bags or boxes to carry your items.

We are required to report the number of people served to our food source (Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin). This information also helps us monitor pantry activities and make sure we are ordering appropriate amounts of food. Please note all survey information remains confidential and is never used to identify individual shoppers.

If you would like to receive your order, but are unable to make it to distribution between 5-6pm, there are a couple solutions.

You may have a friend or family member pick up the order in your place. They will have to provide your name and pick up the order for you.

You may also visit our pantry location at East Campus Mall during our open hours. See our hours, location, and appointment sign up above.

There is no limit on visits to The Open Seat. However, only one member from each household can attend each distribution time. 

At our East Campus Mall location, there are suggested portions for food items and item numbers based on household size. This is so we are able to support as many students as possible on campus. We encourage you to take what you need while being considerate of others and food waste. 

At Eagle Heights distribution, the amount of food you receive depends on your order. We always try to give you what you ordered but some times we do not receive our entire order or supply is low so we may have to provide less than expected.

At our pantry you may find items past their best-by dates. This does not mean that the food is bad!

According to the USDA guidelines that The Open Seat follows, “Best by,” “Use by,” and “Sell by” dates are not expiration dates: 

• “Best by” = When a product has the best flavor or quality 
• “Sell by” = How long a store will display a product for inventory 
• “Use by” = Last date that a product should be used while at peak quality 

With the exception of infant formula, food items without evidence of spoiling (weird smell, color, feeling) should be safe to eat. 

We will never intentionally offer spoiled or unsafe food items. Following the USDA’s expiration date policies allows us and local partners to reduce food waste and offer a wider variety of foods. However, if you see or receive an inedible food item, please alert us and discard.

Did you know these common food items, if unopened, can last this long past their expiration date? 

• Eggs: 5 weeks
• Milk: 1 week 
• Prepared Foods (hummus, guacamole, refrigerated soups): 1 week
• Bread: 3 weeks 
• Boxed Goods: 2 years 
• Canned Goods: 2 years 

We purchase food with private financial donations from Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin at a discounted rate. We also have several partners that help us to accomplish our mission! Without these partners, The Open Seat would not be possible! We receive donations from the following businesses and organizations:

Target on State Street

GoPuff on Regent Street

Madison Area Food Pantry Gardens – Forward Garden