The University gives its students access to a lot of free resources. However, some of the more need-based food assistance programs, such as free meals and campus pantries, receive comparatively less promotion. If you know where to look, it’s possible to secure a free meal nearly every day of the week.
There are several food pantries and free meal programs that can be found across campus. While some options are specifically geared towards those struggling with food and nutrition insecurities, many are open to all students.
Food Assistance & Wellbeing Program
Located inside the ARC Instructional Kitchen, the Food Assistance & Well-Being Program is a University-run initiative that provides free groceries and snacks to students.
Rachel Yang, assistant director of the Food Assistance and Well-Being program, said their mission is “to ensure all the Illinois students have access to nutritious food and to reduce stigma around using this type of resource.”
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The Food Assistance and Well-Being pantry is open twice a week, Tuesdays from 1-4 p.m. and Saturdays from 2-5 p.m. The program also has a grab-and-go locker at CRCE, which is open from 4-6 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Currently, the program is on an appointment-based entry system, so that students do not have to worry about waiting in line. Yang said that this measure is meant to protect the anonymity of students who may experience anxiety around using the resource.
“A lot of the time, I think, at a college campus, students can easily compare themselves to their peers,” Yang said. “It’s not something people really talk about, so being able to provide space that they feel welcome to get the resources they need really is important.”
The Food Assistance & Well-Being Program offers a variety of healthy foods that are low in sugar or high in fiber, various cultural foods and foods that meet dietary restrictions. The food the program offers is largely sourced from donations from food drives in partnership with the Food Science & Human Nutrition department.
Bevier Cafe and Everybody Eats
Located on the second floor of Bevier Hall, Bevier Café is a restaurant in partnership with University Housing’s Everybody Eats program. The Café is open 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday while classes are in session.
According to the University’s website, the Everybody Eats program is “a campuswide initiative to ensure everyone in our Illini community has access to a hot meal and is provided with adequate nutrition.”
At Bevier Café, students can either pay full or partial price, if they are able, or pick up a token for a free meal. The program is largely funded by donations from those looking to “pay it forward.”
Everybody Eats also has two hot-box locations inside the Ikenberry Dining Center and Illinois Street Residence Halls. These boxes are available daily from 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and contain free soup and rice for anyone in need of a hot meal.
Wesley Food Pantry
Wesley Food Pantry is run by Wesley United Methodist Church, located on the corner of Green and Goodwin streets. The church pantry is open to all Champaign-Urbana residents, but it also has multiple grab-and-go locations on campus geared specifically towards students.
According to Dawn Longfellow, director of the Wesley Food Pantry, the core mission of the pantry is “to provide groceries to folks that are struggling” and to reduce food-related anxiety.
“Really, we want to be a safety net for people that are in a position where they’re not receiving government assistance, but they’re also not quite making their budget stretch,” Longfellow said.
The pantry is open from 5-7 p.m. on Thursdays, offering fresh produce, meats and snack items provided from food drive donations and partnerships with local food banks. The pantry also occasionally provides commercial goods such as toiletries when available, as well as recipes to cook its more uncommon items.
Wesley Food Pantry has multiple satellite locations specifically for University students, including a store-like pantry in the ARC Instructional Kitchen and a grab-and-go location in the Orange Room at Main Library.
While some may feel uncomfortable accepting help, Longfellow encourages students to make use of their services whenever they need.
“It’s both knowing that you need help and being embarrassed about that, and a desire not to take something from somebody else,” Longfellow said. “We combat that all the time, we want to make sure people know we’re here for them and they don’t have to worry about any of those concerns; we want them to come and get the help they need.”
McKinley Community Dinners
Every Saturday afternoon from 1-2 p.m., the McKinley Foundation offers a free lunch for University students at Presby Hall. All students are welcome, regardless of need, to come and enjoy a free meal and socialize.
The Community Dinner program started a couple of years ago as a way to utilize the Presby Hall kitchen resources to their fullest potential. According to Paula Hancock, executive director of the McKinley Foundation, while the program is not directly advertised to students dealing with food insecurity, roughly 30% of its patrons identify themselves as food insecure.
“The focus is to help food-insecure students, but also to provide a safe space where people can meet and gather,” Hancock said.
The Community Dinner program hosts cafeteria-style hot food with vegetarian options. Students are encouraged to take home any food that is left over afterwards. Additionally, students are welcome to come an hour before lunch to converse with their peers.
McKinley Church also has a food pantry, operated out of Garden Hills elementary school. Students who come to the Community Dinner are invited to volunteer at the pantry.
Jubilee Cafe
Jubilee Cafe is a dinner program for both community members and students hosted by the Community United Church of Christ. Every Monday from 5-6:30 p.m., students can stop by the church to pick up a free dinner. According to the organization’s website, the Cafe is largely run on generous donations and grant funding.
Additionally, sponsored by the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, CUCC offers low-cost pantry items for its guests.
Lunch on Us Noontime Discussions
Lunch on Us is a free lunch and lecture program hosted by Student Affairs. Each day of the week, a different cultural house welcomes students to grab some food and participate in a group discussion and lecture surrounding various topics from 12-1 p.m.
While discussions typically center around a specific topic related to each house, all are welcome to participate.
The Women’s Resources Center hosts “Dish It Up ” the second and fourth Mondays of the month; The Asian American Cultural Center hosts “Food for Thought” on Tuesdays; The Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center hosts “Food for the Soul” on Wednesdays; and La Casa hosts their Lunch on Us program on Thursdays. Additionally, the Native American House hosts a “Dinner on Us” program bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.
Although separate from the cultural house series, another notable mention is the “Friday Forum + Conversation Café” lunches hosted at the University YMCA, also at noon. Friday Forum features a free meal from the Y-Thai Eatery along with a discussion surrounding pressing public concerns.
More information can be found at the Eat. Move. Save. page on the University website, which contains an interactive map with the locations of every food pantry and free food service in the C-U area.
