A free app built by University of Washington researchers now maps little free pantries and community fridges across the Puget Sound region.

The tool, PantryMap.org, shows the locations of dozens of neighborhood pantries, indicates which ones are running low on stock, and lets donors log what they've dropped off.

The project is funded by a $700,000 National Science Foundation grant. Lead researcher Giacomo Dalla Chiara, a senior research scientist at UW's Urban Freight Lab, said the site will stay live after data collection wraps up in October 2026.

"We're trying to measure and quantify goodwill," Dalla Chiara told UW News. "Behind each little free pantry there is a whole system of behaviors — people trying to help one another. If we can understand that system better, we can support it better."

PantryMap's website describes its coverage as the "Puget Sound region," though the interactive map must be loaded in a browser to view specific listings. Tacoma residents can visit PantryMap.org to see which neighborhood pantries appear near them.

The local need is real. The Tacoma City Council proclaimed May 2026 as Hunger Awareness Month. Nearly 118,000 Pierce County residents receive SNAP benefits, according to a Pierce County Human Services newsletter published in fall 2025.

The research team also retrofitted four pantries with weight sensors and door sensors that anonymously report usage in real time. Each retrofit costs about $150. Doctoral student Vicente Arroyos designed the sensor suite specifically to avoid cameras, preserving the anonymity of anyone who opens a pantry door.