• The program operates on a self-assessed, need-based basis. It is meant to serve as an emergency food relief for students. You are welcome to come up to once per week, take as much as you need while being mindful that the food pantry is a shared community resource for emergency food needs.
• All you need is your student i-card.
• We offer items such as rice, pasta, milk, bread, freezer items, meat, and fresh produce! We restock twice a week, but due to shortages sometimes certain inventory items may be out of stock.
• The food pantry is operated by students and couldn’t stay open if it weren’t for the 20+ volunteers who support it. The pantry serves hundreds of people every month!
• You can learn more about nearby food assistance resources using FindFood IL.

The Food Assistance & Well-Being Program is located in the Instructional Kitchen in the Activities & Recreation Center (ARC) located at 201 E. Peabody Drive in Champaign. You can find the entrance on the concourse level, next to the climbing wall. During Fall and Spring semesters, students must be registered for a minimum of 6 credit hours have facility access to utilize the program.

The Food Assistance & Well-Being Program is an emergency relief program designed to meet the short-term food security needs of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign community, including all current Illinois students. We are a shopping-style pantry that allows patrons to choose what they need when visiting. We offer protein, dairy, fresh produce, canned items, grain, and a small collection of personal care products. 

Food insecurity is defined as a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food (USDA, 2006). In contrast to hunger, it is defined as an individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity.

All current Illinois students can use the pantry. For check-in purposes, we ask students to show their i-card or Illini ID in the Illinois app wallet.

You are welcome to utilize the Wesley United Methodist Church (WUMC) Partnered pantries once a week. You do not have to visit the same pantry every time. You can choose the pantry that works best for your schedule. Visit the Wesley Evening Food Pantry in Urbana or the Parkland College location. Visit their website for more information on location and hours.

YES! We ask that you bring your own bags if you have them. We usually have limited boxes and donated bags available if you forget.

• The pantry is run by 20+ student volunteers and managed by about 2 student staff, with support from the Assistant Director of Food Security.
• Student volunteers are recruited at the beginning of each semester, with the expectation that they will work a shift that works with their schedule each week or be "on-call" in case weekly volunteers have to miss a shift.
• Any student can apply to be a volunteer, with priority given to returning volunteers and new volunteers selected based on scheduling needs. Volunteers are usually only recruited at the beginning of each semester; though if more are needed, they might be added to the schedule throughout the semester.
• Our student staff are hired as current leads graduate/move on to other roles.

• Most of our items are purchased and some other items are donated.
• We pick up most of our food items from the Easten Illinois Food Bank twice a week. We sometimes purchase from the Animal Science Meat & Egg Sale and the Student Sustainable Farm for produce to supplement our inventory needs. 
• Bread, some dairy items, produce, prepared food/prepackaged meals, and miscellaneous nonperishables are donated by businesses and community members. Some donations are consistent, and others are sporadic, and often vary semester-to-semester.
• If you are interested in supporting our efforts, you can donate to our Support Fund, purchase from our Amazon Wishlist, or host a food drive for us.

Our funding comes from a variety of sources. The majority of our pantry inventory is purchased from Eastern Illinois Food Bank through funding from individual donors and our parent agency Wesley United Methodist Church (WUMC). Our operations, other supplies, and staffing are paid for with funds from the Campus Recreation service fee. We are considered a satellite pantry of WUMC network which is a registered 501©3.