Food Assistance & Well-Being Program

 

The Food Assistance and Well-being Program is an emergency resource for Illinois students who are facing financial challenges and need short-term food and basic needs support. Our pantry offers a variety of items such as protein, dairy, fresh produce, canned goods, grains, and personal care items. However, availability of items varies each week as the pantry is fully funded by donations from the community. Additionally, committed to equity and accessibility, the program collects data to improve services and meet the needs of the diverse student community while maintaining anonymity of students who utilizes the pantry.

 

Food Assistance & Well-Being Program

How It Works

Every week, students can choose one of the following three services that best fits their needs and availability. Returning visitors who have already utilized a service for the week will be provided additional community resources that they can access in the meantime.

International students and scholars wanting to utilize these services should first review the public charge page on the ISSS website. If you have questions after reviewing the page, please contact ISSS.

Visit the ARC Food Assistance & Well-Being Program

Location

The Food Assistance & Well-Being Program is located in the rear of the ARC Instructional Kitchen (entrance on the concourse level, next to the indoor climbing wall).

Before the Pantry Opens

  • The first hour of opening is by appointment only
    • Tuesday 1-2pm
    • Saturday 2-3pm
  • No appointment is required for the remaining operation. Walk-ins are welcome at first come first serve base.

To Schedule Your Appointment

  • Login to PantrySoft Account with your Illinois NetID and password.
    • Once you are logged in, complete the Registration Form.
    • Only the fields with red asterisks are required.
    • Click “SAVE AND EXIT” when you are done.
  • At the main page, select Visit Type “In-person Shopping at ARC
  • Schedule a Visit Time: Click the plus icon on the screen to select your preferred time slot.
  • Confirm the appointment
  • You can log back into your account to modify your appointment.
  • We offer a 10-minute grace period after your appointment timeslots.

Here’s a link to an instruction video for scheduling an ARC appointment.

During Pantry Open Hours

1. Present your i-card to the staff upon entry.

2. Check-in on the laptop. If this is your first time, create a profile by following the instructions.

3. Once your profile is created, grab a basket and start shopping!

4. When you are done, go to the checkout area. Our volunteers will pack your items for you.

Schedule a pickup at CRCE Lockers

Pick-up times are 4-6pm every Monday and Wednesday. Hours are subject to change based upon operational needs.

Register Your Account

  1. Login to PantrySoft Account with your Illinois NetID and password.
  2. Once you are logged in, complete the Registration Form.
    • Only the fields with red asterisks are required.
    • If you’d like to utilize the locker pickup service, provide your contact email and phone number to receive pickup notifications.
  3. Click “SAVE AND EXIT” when you are done.

Schedule a Pick-Up

Video file
  1. Login to your PantrySoft Account
  2. Schedule a Visit Time: Click the plus icon on the right side of the screen to select your preferred time slots.
  3. Select Your Items: Click the “plus” icon on each individual item to add them to your cart. Click the minus icon to remove them from your cart.
    • Note: As soon as these items are selected, they are reserved from the pantry's current inventory. If no action is taken for 20 minutes, the transaction is cancelled. The exclamation "!" next to a quantity indicates that the maximum amount has been selected.
  4. Confirm Your Order: Once you have made all of your selections, click on the shopping cart icon on the top right to review your order. Click “Confirm Order” to finalize.
    • Note: You can adjust the total quantities from this screen using the plus and minus icons. You can review, but not change, the selected time slot. To pick a new time slot, you must wait 20 minutes for the order to expire, then start a new order.
  5. Log out: Click the user icon on the top right to see a Logout pop-up. Click Logout to exit.
  6. Review/Edit/Cancel Your Order: On the order summary screen, you can make changes to your items ordered and appointment time. This screen will be visible upon every login until the visit occurs.
    • Note: You have up to 8 hours before your scheduled pickup to cancel/modify your order. 

Visit a Wesley Food Pantry

Welsey Food Pantry Hours & Locations

Video
Subtitle
ARC Food Assistance & Well-Being Program

Title
How to Check In

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The Food Assistance & Well-Being Program is staffed by student volunteers from Food Science Human Nutrition who support patrons while developing their community-building skills. We also work closely with faculty to provide additional educational resources. Don't hesitate to ask questions while in the space. We are here to help!

Donate

Title
Instructions
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How Your Donation Helps
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  • A $20 donation provides at least 20 servings of healthy food
  • A $40 donation provides at least 40 servings of healthy food
  • A $60 donation provides at least 60 servings of healthy food
  • An $80 donation provides at least 80 servings of healthy food
  • A $100 donation provides at least 100 servings of healthy food

On the Menu

Explore food resources and check out some of our staff's favorite recipes!

Host a Food Drive

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Groups, organizations, and RSOs interested in partnering with the Food Assistance and Well-Being Program can host their own virtual or drop-box food drive! To get started, view the How to Host a Food Drive (PDF) instructions and then fill out the request form. If approved, we will reach out with more details!

Volunteer

Interested in helping to support the program? Fill out the Food Assistance & Well-Being Program Volunteer Interest Form. We are accepting volunteers for the academic year 2024-2025.

Resources

Title
CampusWell

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Explore wellness resources on CampusWell, an interdepartmental website that provides articles and videos about various topics, including food and nutrition!