Tutu’s Pantry: Rallying the TME Community to Support Our Families

Tutu’s Pantry has been a vital lifeline for Thurgood Marshall Elementary (TME) families facing food insecurity since its founding in 2009.

This incredible, volunteer-led effort provides backpacks full of food sent home with students at the end of each week. We rely on family volunteers, community members, and organizations around Seattle to stock our shelves and ensure our families have the resources they need.

Our Legacy: Tutu’s Pantry was started by a TME family and named after an alumni’s generous grandmother, Tutu. Her large initial donation started our mission, and thanks to donors, community partners, and volunteers, we’re able to keep that mission going!

🥫 How to Help (Donate Food or Funds)

Our mission runs on generosity, and we try to make it easy to support!

• Shop our Amazon Wishlist and have items sent directly to the school. Your donations directly stock the pantry shelves and fill the backpacks sent home each week.
• Donate via the school Paypal account and select “Tutu’s Pantry” from the dropdown menu
• Volunteer. We rely heavily on family volunteers! To inquire about opportunities, please email us.

🎒 Need Resources?

Any family with a student currently enrolled at Thurgood Marshall is eligible.

• If your family is facing food insecurity, please complete the Tutu’s Application linked here, or available through your child’s teacher and the TME Main Office.
• Return the completed form to your child’s teacher or the Main Office.
• You can start – or stop – participation in the program at any time.

📧 Contact Us

If you want to volunteer or have questions, please email: TutusPantry@tmlink.org.