R’Pantry is continuing its mission of supporting students by providing basic food and hygiene products from a new permanent location on campus.

The program moved to HUB 346 in February and will stay there for the long-term. This will provide stability for the pantry, which has been housed at a few different locations since it began six years ago, said Sesley Lewis, director of UC Riverside’s Basic Needs Department.

“It’s more accessible to students and folks can get more familiar with a regular location,” she said.

R’Pantry has also benefited from a successful food donation drive and fundraising support over the last couple months.

Since fall, it has received 300 pounds of donations from several campus groups ,including Information Technology Solutions; Mail Services; Card Services; staff and faculty at the School of Public Policy Master of Public Policy Program; Phi Alpha Delta; and Phi Sigma Pi. The group also received donations from the Jack and Jill Foundation, while the UC Riverside Police Department and Associated Students of UCR have food drives planned.

Information Technology Solutions, or ITS, donated over 50 pounds to the pantry. The department, which has had food drives by different divisions in past years, pooled its efforts to raise $2,000 worth of food donations, said Alex Chrystal, manager of communication and training for ITS. 

Department employees shopped for items on R’Pantry’s list and dropped them off at a drive-through collection. They also collected clothing for the R’Professional program.

“The student aspect of UCR and supporting them is something we’re all passionate about,” Chrystal said.

Lewis said R’Pantry is grateful for the support it gets from campus.

“Anything helps, whether small or large,” she said. “It helps subsidize some of the additional ways we’re getting food or inventory for our space.”

R’Pantry typically feeds around 300 students a week. Together with other basic needs programs, the campus supports a total of 600 students weekly.

R’Pantry is only one of the ways the department assists students dealing with food insecurity. Through CalFresh, qualifying students receive up to $250 a month to purchase groceries, while the Grocery Support program offers $50 gift cards for students needing immediate assistance and additional financial help.

“We’re a very diverse campus in various ways,” Lewis said. “We know our students present with some of the highest needs in the UC system. Making sure we’re able to provide them with the resources they need is imperative.”