The scenario is a typical one.
A full-time college student, living away from home, having to pay Orange County’s exorbitantly high prices to rent an off-campus apartment, even with roommates splitting the cost.
Then there is the soaring cost of food.
This high cost of living can lead to “food insecurity,” a term defined by the Centers for Disease Control as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.”
The recently opened ASI Food Pantry in the Titan Student Union on the Cal State Fullerton campus – nearly twice the size of the old food pantry – was constructed to accommodate greater demand and better help alleviate food insecurity among CSUF students.
Managed by Associated Students Inc. and known simply as “The Pantry,” the 1,400-square-foot space is stocked with canned foods, frozen foods, fresh produce and freshly prepared meals, available for free to all full-time and part-time Cal State Fullerton students.
Using the Pantry diminishes the financial burden of a trip to the supermarket, said fourth-year student Alexa Vergil, who lives in the Bay Area and moved to Fullerton to attend CSUF in the fall of 2021.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever been on my own,” Vergil said. “If I ever do have to go to the grocery store, it’s usually around $100. So, paying for food — and I don’t have a job yet — kind of took a toll, and I have rent.”
Any CSUF student can visit the ASI Food Pantry up to once a week with an appointment.
“When I come here, sometimes they’ll have beans,” Vergil said. “Those last me a week, so I have a whole meal for a week. Same with the pasta, I have a whole meal for a week and not having to pay for that at the grocery store is really nice. It takes off a big load, too.”
Students are not required to prove financial hardship to qualify for the Food Pantry’s services.
“One of the biggest problems with food pantries is the stigma attached to it,” said Kristen Stava, the Titan Student Union director. “First of all, we don’t think that stigma is legitimate, and so we certainly don’t want to reinforce it … so It is open to all.”
According to the Pantry fact sheet from ASI, research led by Tabashir Sadegh-Nobari, assistant professor of public health, showed that 18.1% of CSUF students were food insecure during the spring 2021 semester.
Percentages were higher among first-generation students, parenting students and Pell Grant recipients, who are students with significant financial need.
Aside from its larger size, the new Pantry is more centrally located than the previous pantry and has an open layout with aisles of stocked shelves, akin to an actual supermarket.
The original Pantry opened in a 700-square-foot space near the Titan Student Union Pavilion in August 2021 and served about 100 students per week, according to the fact sheet.
Nearly 300,000 pounds of food have been donated to students since The Pantry opened.
The former pantry space is now used as a sorting area for donated items.
“When we realized that the pantry was in a particularly smaller space, we needed to expand on it because of how many were utilizing it and how much support we were getting,” ASI President Maysem Awadalla said. “So, we figured, okay, let’s move it. And I feel like it’s been very beneficial. I feel like it’s been a great accomplishment from ASI, and I’m excited to see how it continues to grow because this is only the start.”
The Pantry’s community partners include the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Orange County Food Bank and Community Action Partnership of Orange County.
Second Harvest Food Bank, for example, provides The Pantry with three to five pallets of free food each week, often totaling over 4,000 pounds.
Its grocery store partners include Ralphs, Sprouts Farmers Market, Northgate Market and Sam’s Club.
The Pantry’s campus partners include Basic Needs Services, Student Wellness’ Cooking Healthy & Optimal Movement Promotion (CHOMP) program and the Children’s Center.
“So many of our students have multiple jobs, and their focus is on school, which is where we want it to be,” said Dave Edwards, executive director of ASI. “But the food pantry and some of our other student services help them be successful in the classroom.”
Funding for The Pantry comes mostly from student fees but largely from grants and donations.
“Getting to this place is a collaboration with our students, with our ASI, which are really the leaders of this effort, working with so many external partners, our grocery store partners, and so many nonprofits that are making a big difference in Orange County,” said Greg Sachs, vice president for community engagement at CSUF. “And coming together, we’ve been able to help our students have the most fundamental need that they have, which is food in their belly.”
