Students thrive when their basic needs are met. When students have stable and reliable access to food and housing, they are better able to focus on their studies, connect with their peers and professors, participate in extracurricular activities, and fully engage with all aspects of their UC Santa Cruz experience. According to a University of California survey, nearly 43 percent of undergraduates report having limited or uncertain access to food. The University of California Office of the President and UC Santa Cruz are committed to reducing food insecurity by 50 percent in 2025.
It is an audacious goal. You can help us achieve it.
We connect students with the resources they need to succeed and thrive.
We believe there is strength in community. UCSC is engaging in a campuswide strategic effort to connect students with the resources they need, when they need them. The result is a roadmap to food security, composed of five campus programs to ensure that our students have the nutrients they need. We invite you to join our momentum in ensuring that every student has food at their table.
A gift to the Foodways Fund supports efforts across the five different areas on campus that empower students with sustenance and success:
Field-to-Plate Food Security
Across the UCSC campus, students engage in field and kitchen internships, as well as plant, harvest, and access free, organic, farm-fresh produce at a variety of basic needs distribution sites, including a twice-a-week pop-up market, and nontransactional cafe space.
Expanding Access and Pantry Resources
The Redwood Market—a nontransactional market space to support students—sources fresh and prepared food items as well as supplemental hygiene products, baby products, and other essentials to support student success.
Holistic CalFresh Support
UCSC provides support for student CalFresh enrollment and renewal as well as supplemental aid for non-eligible food-insecure student populations, including undocumented students, underground scholars, and international students.
Slug Support
UCSC’s Slug Support program identifies students who are navigating difficult or challenging situations and helps them resolve their concerns. Taking a holistic, student-centered approach and working as an interdisciplinary team in partnership with other campus programs, Slug Support helps students focus on their time at UC Santa Cruz and reduces barriers to graduation.
Student Basic Needs Research Assessment
Resources will provide experiential learning opportunities by funding undergraduate and graduate student positions as well as publication and educational materials.
