Campus vignette: Feed U Pantry provides healthy food in a pinch

Job losses and medical emergencies happen, but no one should have to choose between food or bills.

According to a 2021 survey by Utahns Against Hunger, two in five Utah college students are “food insecure” and forced to grapple with these difficult choices. Food insecurity is a temporary or sustained lack of access to affordable, nutritious food. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 13.5% of American households were food insecure at least some time during the year.

Since 2014, the Feed U Food Pantry, located on the basement level of the A. Ray Olpin Union building, has provided a safety net for U students, their families, faculty, and staff in need of nourishing, nonperishable food. Patrons just have to provide a valid UCard and self-report that they meet federal poverty income guidelines.

For the summer semester though August 1, 2025, the pantry is open Monday to Thursday, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Please refer to Feed U Pantry’s Instagram account (@feedupantry) for early closures or holiday hours (the next closures are July 4 and July 24). The Feed U Food Pantry also maintains satellite locations in Eccles Health Sciences Education Building and Sunnyside Apartments, and takes its mission on the road in a van funded by the class of 2024 and Associated Students of the University Of Utah (ASUU).

The Feed U Food Pantry is a volunteer-supported partner agency of Utah Food Bank. Periodic shipments from the food bank are supplemented by on-campus groups like Edible Campus Gardens and Food Recovery Network.

Donations from on-campus groups and individuals are accepted. Email feedufoodpantry@union.utah.edu to arrange a food donation or consider making a monetary donation through the Office of Advancement. Cash donations go to buying food from Costco.

 

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