Cal Poly Food Pantry

About The Food Pantry

The Cal Poly Food Pantry feeds the Mustang community. We believe everyone deserves access to fresh nutritious food. The Food Pantry has a robust inventory from a wide variety of packaged and canned foods, fresh produce, frozen meals, and personal hygiene items, such as diapers and menstrual products. 

The Cal Poly Food Pantry is open Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 6pm. For open and available pantries on weekends in the SLO area, please click here: Local Pantries open over the weekend. 

 

In addition to the onsite Food Pantry, San Luis Obispo community members can receive fresh groceries at Cal Poly during the monthly SLO Food Bank food distributions thanks to the partnership with SLO Food Bank. Individuals can learn more about the food distributions, including the specific dates on the SLO Food Bank website or Cal Poly Community members can view the calendar on Cal Poly Now. 

FAQs

Location

Campus Health & Wellbeing
Building 27, Room 10, Lower Level (Wellbeing Services) accessed by the ramp near the rock climbing wall at the Rec Center. 
Phone: 805-756-7818 

Hours for Cal Poly Students

The Cal Poly Food Pantry is open Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 6:00PM.  
The Food Pantry is re-stocked throughout the week and individuals can expect a robust assortment of fresh produce, shelf-stable items, and personal hygiene items such as diapers and menstrual products. 

Hours for Cal Poly Employees

Cal Poly Employees can access the Pantry on Fridays during usual operating hours of 8:30AM to 6:00PM. 

Accessing the Cal Poly Food Pantry

All are welcome to access the Food Pantry! There is no eligibility criteria at the Food Pantry as we believe all Mustangs deserve access to fresh, nutritious food. Individuals who are seeking immediate or urgent assistance for food can inform any member of the Food Pantry Fellows, the student team managing the space, to be connected to additional, high-impact food resources such as Meal Vouchers and CalFresh.  

Partnerships with the Food Pantry

The Food Pantry welcomes partnership opportunities! The Food Pantry currently partners with CollegeCorps, SLO Food Bank, Cal Poly Crops unit, Student Experimental Farm, CalFresh, Student Diversity and Belonging, Dean of Students, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, Educational Outreach Program (EOP), TRiO Achievers, and more! Interested in partnering for an event? Contact Hannah Steen, Basic Needs Coordinator, at hasteen@calpoly.edu or 805-756-1045.

Where does the food come from?

The majority of the food in the Cal Poly Food Pantry comes from the SLO Food Bank, where the Cal Poly Food Pantry is a regulated, agency partner. Local produce is supplied weekly from the Cal Poly Crops unit. The Food Pantry also participates in a food rescue program with Sprouts, Grocery Outlet, and Food 4 Less Grocery Stores in San Luis Obispo. Lastly, community members are welcome to donate to the Food Pantry and as a result, there is a robust inventory of food and personal hygiene items. 

Volunteer Opportunities with the Food Pantry

Due to our partnership with the CollegeCorps program and the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, the Food Pantry does not currently have any volunteer availability. 

Want to support the Food Pantry in a different way? Shop our Amazon Wishlist!

Food Pantry staff have curated a list of commonly requested items, as well as items that we cannot otherwise source to supplement Food Pantry inventory. If you would like to donate to the Food Pantry, simply click here to access the Food Pantry's Amazon Wishlist. The wishlist automatically populates delivery instructions and typically takes about 2-4 days to be delivered on site. 
The Food Pantry also welcomes ad hoc one-time or recurring donations of nonperishable, unopened foods, unopened personal items, and school supplies.

Your help is needed to support our mission to feed the Mustang community – donate today! Here’s how:
1. Donate to the Food Pantry Support Fund
2. Shop our Amazon Wishlist

For questions regarding donating to the Food Pantry, contact Taffy Gonzalez, Food Pantry Coordinator: tgonza20@calpoly.edu. Donated items can be dropped off at the Food Pantry anytime during open hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30AM to 6:00PM. 

Contact the Food Pantry

For questions regarding inventory and operations contact Taffy Gonzalez, Food Pantry Coordinator: tgonza20@calpoly.edu or 805-756-7818. Media inquiries can be sent to Hannah Steen, Basic Needs Coordinator at hasteen@calpoly.edu or 805-756-1045. 

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