The University officially launched the Trojan Food Pantry Sept. 24 at King Hall, adjacent to Webb Tower, to combat food insecurity among its students. The pantry offers free grocery items, food and clothing to enrolled students who do not have one of the University’s meal plans. 

Rey Yin, a sophomore majoring in anthropology, said not having any dining hall meal swipes is an inconvenience and she worries about having to prepare the next day’s meal. Grocery shopping takes up a substantial part of her budget. 

“I know there is a certain amount of students who really rely on financial aid, so they definitely need this for their daily life,” Yin said.  “I think this will really be a very helpful program.” 

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The pantry is open from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and 1:30-4:00 p.m. Wednesdays. Students visiting the pantry for the first time are required to complete an intake form that asks for their student ID number, student status, course load, residency situation, personal identity and conditions of obtaining food and basic necessities.

Although students enrolled in a meal plan are not eligible to participate in the pantry, if a student runs out of meal swipes — or if they are concerned that their meal plan is going to be insufficient later in the semester — they are encouraged to reach out and discuss the issue with the managing team. The team can try to find other ways to support them, depending on individual needs, said Alejandra Delacruz Hong, the director of Trojan Success Initiatives at Student Equity and Inclusion Programs. 

Each shelf in the pantry contains a different food category such as canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, cereal and breakfast items, snacks, spices and refrigerated items. 

Students can take up to 10 dry and nonperishable items such as Cup Noodles and mac and cheese, but no more than two of the same item. They can also take a maximum of three items in the snacks and sweets section. For the fridge and freezer section, students can either select two drinks or one food item. 

On top of offering food items, the pantry also has clothes and fitting rooms for students. 

The food pantry receives funding from private contributions and the University. It also partners with other food banks and campus partners based in Los Angeles who “work with not just food insecurity, but also sustainability and food waste.”

Delacruz Hong said USC has had a smaller-scale food pantry on campus for a decade. The first physical food pantry was established after many iterations.

“About 10 years ago, it started as an initiative where students can go and get a couple of food items from one of the academic units,” Delacruz Hong said, “or sometimes, professors [or] staff members would have snacks in their offices, and they knew that a student was struggling, so they would buy extra snacks to be able to give them. So we started to see this pattern.”

After Delacruz Hong took the position of the Student Basic Needs manager in 2019, she expanded the services of the food pantry and sought a permanent space to operate it. Her team had been trying to settle the food pantry in a permanent location for the last five years.  

“We finally have this space, which is permanent and long-term,” she said. “It really shows a true investment from the University in addressing this concern for our students.” 

The pantry anticipates 200 to 300 students per week as the semester continues, Delacruz Hong said.

Students can volunteer to work at the pantry and employees can choose to have a part of their paycheck donated to the Trojan Food Pantry. Delacruz Hong said she is determined to support students as much as possible.

“What we really want to focus on, and we have always focused on, is making sure students know that there is dignity in asking for help and that we are here to just support the way that they thrive at USC and make them successful,” Delacruz Hong said. “We want to reduce that stigma about asking for help.”

Rachel Qiu, a freshman majoring in economics and data science, said the food pantry should conduct greater outreach and better advocate its services. 

 “​​So far as I’m concerned, not many of my friends know about this program,” Qiu said. 

Delacruz Hong said the SEIP team wants to make sure more USC students can learn about its existence and further benefit from it.