UIC Pop-Up Pantry celebrates 10 years of nourishing students

Carol Petersen still remembers the conversation she had with a UIC student that led to the opening of UIC’s Pop-Up Pantry 10 years ago.

Petersen, senior director of the UIC Wellness Center, was in the middle of a consultation with the student when he revealed that he was hungry.

“He proceeded to tell me that he was at home reaching for the box of cereal,” Petersen said, but his mom was saving it for his younger sister. “And so he came to school hungry. That was a real wake-up call for me.”

That conversation led her to partner with UIC’s Undergraduate Student Government. Petersen had been collaborating with the office on resources for students experiencing homelessness. Its members jumped in to hold a campus-wide food drive to help launch the first pantry.

The first pop-up food pantry opened 10 years ago this week, just before Thanksgiving Day in 2014. About 100 students showed up. Since then, Petersen estimated, the pantry has received 100,000 visits from students, who have received food staples and other household necessities.

Over the years many departments, students, faculty and staff have contributed to the pantry through food drives and donations, Petersen said.

“The Office of the Chancellor, Dean of Students, University Library, College of Business and Athletics are just a few of many departments that have supported the pantry, and I also want to recognize those who took the time to drop off food or to make a monetary donation,” Petersen said. “I want to thank everyone. We could not have done it without you.”

She knows the need is still great. When students register in the Wellness Center to use the pantry, they fill out an intake form that asks them to estimate how much food they currently have in their homes. About 90% say they only have 10 food items, and of that 90%, half report having less than five items. The need for food is especially important to students because nutrition is tied to academic success.

“When we’re eating, 20% of the total calories that you eat for the day go to support your brain function, so if you are not eating properly, you are not feeding your brain,” Petersen said. “And as a student, your brain is your greatest asset.”

Partnerships and a home

For most of its existence, the UIC Pop-Up Pantry would pop up in different campus locations. But it recently found a permanent home on the second floor of the Student Center East Tower, 750 S. Halsted St.

While in the early days, all the food came from campus-wide donations, those were eventually supplemented with off-campus donations. The pantry became the first on a college campus to partner with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. It also has received food donations from companies like PepsiCo, TIAA financial services, Mariano’s, Starbucks and UIC alumni such as former Major League Baseball All-Star Curtis Granderson.

Granderson’s foundation has teamed up with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to provide meals for children, its focus. His foundation also works with the UIC Pop-Up Pantry to forge relationships with corporate sponsors.

Granderson made a recent appearance at the UIC Pop-Up Pantry to bring attention to his foundation and its work on food insecurity. For him, the issue has a deep resonance. His parents were local educators who stressed the connection between proper nutrition and academic success. His mother told him that, for many children, schools were the only place to get a meal.

“That’s where it hit me: If they don’t go to school, then where’s the next meal going to come from?” Granderson said. “That can impact anybody, and it doesn’t matter if you are a UIC first-year student, a grad student on the east side of campus or the west side of campus. Food insecurity doesn’t discriminate.”

The partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic when classes were remote and donations dropped. The partnership allowed students to continue having the pantry as a resource.

“Many students lost their jobs because restaurants and other services closed, so we were feeding students who were unemployed,” Petersen said.

Bags of nutrition

Rather than being a pop-up, the pantry now has a set schedule. Typically, it’s open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Due to the holiday this week, the pantry will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27, and closed Thursday, Nov. 28. The pantry supplies food to 300 to 400 visitors weekly. Students can use the pantry once per week after registering with the Wellness Center with a valid school ID.

One senior who has been using the pantry weekly since she was a sophomore said she lives off campus with five siblings and grandparents. The pantry helps feed her entire family.

“Since I discovered it during my sophomore year, it’s been a blessing in my life and for my family,” she said. “This really has helped me stay healthy. All I can do is give thanks to this program.”

Among the items regularly available are milk, eggs, cereal, canned goods, beans and pasta. Occasionally there are other products like cheese and almond milk. In addition, the pantry has toiletries like shampoo and feminine products. Laundry detergent and cleaning products are very popular. They’ve also offered items like light bulbs and COVID-19 tests and masks.

The pantry partners with the Little Sparks Program to offer diapers, baby formula and wipes for students who are parents. Sparky’s Closet, a program started by Ruby Vega Lepe, associate director of training and student development in Student Centers Administration, is next to the pantry and offers a variety of clean clothing to students for free.

A computer science graduate student said she had visited the pantry every week since she began at UIC last year. Having the pantry on campus near her classes has been a necessary resource for her and her friends, she said.

“We can come to campus, attend classes and pick up whatever we want without having a separate schedule,” she said. “This is very helpful for us, and it’s been feeding us for a long time.”

A graduate student in mechanical engineering said he had visited the pantry weekly for more than a year.

“Nutrition is an important part of any human being because it gives you all your vitamins and protein and helps you academically,” he said. “Having the pantry really helps you because it provides you with good quality food and portions. I’m really happy that it’s here. It’s a real lifesaver.” 

How you can help: The UIC Pop-Up Pantry accepts food and monetary donations.