AT UCI
Resources
for Food Insecurity
Here is a list of organizations at UC Irvine and in the greater Orange County community that provide resources for people struggling with food insecurity.
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UCI Basic Needs Center offers a variety of services to UC Irvine students to help them meet their basic needs. Services include food pantry visits, CalFresh Application Assistance, consultations with social workers, and more.
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Second Harvest is the largest food bank in Orange County and provides food for all who need it such as college students, children, working families, and seniors. They offer fresh produce and other nutritious food including eggs, dairy, meat and grains, in addition to shelf-stable items like beans, canned meat and fish.
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Food Banks at Other Local Universities
Orange County, CA
Other local universities also have their own food pantries that are accessible to UCI students with presentation of valid student ID's. Some options include:
- Pirate’s Cove at Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa)
- Food Resource Center at Irvine Valley College (Irvine)
- Thrive Center at Santa Ana College (Santa Ana)
- Hawk’s Nest at Santiago Canyon College (Orange)
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Market Match is a California program that matches customers’ CalFresh nutrition assistance benefits at farmers’ markets and other farm-direct sites. To use it, visit the farmers market’s information booth and ask how to receive Market Match. A market staff person will swipe your CalFresh EBT card for the amount of your choice and you will receive tokens or paper vouchers to spend on any CalFresh-eligible food items at the market. The nearest farmers markets to UCI that accept Market Match are:
- Irvine CFM at Mariner's Church (Open Saturdays, 8am-12pm)
- Newport Beach CFM (Open Sundays, 9am-1pm)
- Costa Mesa SoCo CFM (Open Saturdays, 9am-2pm)
- Tustin Old Town CFM (Open Wednesdays, 9am-1pm)
Resources
for Food Recovery
Gleaning is the act of simultaneously reducing food waste and food insecurity by recovering excess food. Here is a list of resources that help people simultaneously fight food waste and food insecurity.
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Created by the UCI Basic Needs Center, Zot Bites is a text-based notification system that invites students to be an after-event guest when a catered event is over and excess food is available. Register through the website linked above.
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Too Good to Go is an app that allows people to purchase and pick up excess food from restaurants at discounted prices. To register, download the app.
Volunteering Resources
Here are some organizations that provide volunteering opportunities at UC Irvine and in the greater Orange County Community.
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The Food Recovery Network at UCI offers regular volunteering opportunities in the local community around UC Irvine. Some examples of our past volunteering opportunities include recovering food from hotels in Anaheim, helping process food donations, and cleaning up local beaches. You can keep up to date with events through our Discord, CampusGroups, and/or Instagram, which are all linked at the bottom of the page.
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Ants in Your Plants is a student-led garden in the Arroyo Vista housing community that grows food to donate to the UCI Basic Needs Hub's FRESH Pantry. Students can register as volunteers through CampusGroups and sign-up for volunteering shifts at their own convenience. Volunteer tasks include weeding, planting, and performing other miscellaneous garden maintenance tasks.
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Second Harvest is the largest food bank in Orange County and they are dedicated to providing food for all who need it. If you are interested, you can register through their website for volunteering opportunities—which they offer on a consistent basis—at their distribution center, Harvest Solutions Farm, and Founders Farm.