Rising living costs and academic pressures shouldn’t leave students wondering where their next meal will come from, but for many college students, food insecurity is a reality. In fact, over 41% of college students in the U.S. faced food insecurity in 2025, with over 400,000 public college students relying on benefits from CalFresh to put food on the table.
To tackle this challenge head-on, Kaiser Permanente is making a significant investment in student well-being at Cal State Fullerton with a $40,000 donation to the Associated Students Inc. Food Pantry.
This fund supports The Pantry’s to-go programs, expands pop-up services and makes culturally diverse, nutritious food more accessible. This is the second year ASI has received one of Kaiser Permanente’s community grants, made possible through the CSUF Philanthropic Foundation.
“This grant has given us an opportunity to be more centralized on campus,” said Alyssa Koba, coordinator for the ASI Food Pantry. “We have these opportunities to be more centralized in the Quad. We can advertise our services to students who have been unaware of our existence while also grounding our position within ASI.”
From using high-traffic campus spaces to hosting holiday events, this support ensures that every Titan has a chance to thrive without worrying about basic needs.
Expanding Outreach
Kaiser Permanente’s funding has helped The Pantry achieve one of its most important goals: making students aware of the support available to them.
“As a student, you juggle multiple roles: work, school, family obligations, and on top of that, you have to think about your health,” said Cristina Truong, associate director for Titan Student Union Programs and Food Pantry. “There’s a financial burden in not knowing if you have the funds to buy groceries, but knowing students have this service helps ease that pressure.”
By increasing outreach this year, The Pantry has created an environment where food assistance is seen as a choice that supports health and academic success, rather than a last resort.
This past fall, The Pantry’s ability to host on-campus outreach efforts has nearly doubled. Throughout this semester, The Pantry has hosted four “Pop-Up Pantry” events and one “Snack To Go: Finals Edition” event set in December, while also collaborating with TitanHEALTH to develop “Cook and Connect,” a hands-on experience designed to teach students how to use staples from The Pantry to create nutritious, high-energy meals.
This semester, events hosted by The Pantry have reached more than 660 students, and its day-to-day operations have distributed over 50,000 pounds of food, ensuring Titans receive support wherever they need it on campus.
“When you see people using The Pantry, whether it’s because they actually need it or just because they want it and it’s available to them, that destigmatizes it as a resource,” said Koba. “It opens conversations around the resources available to Titans, especially during such a crucial time, and it continues that conversation.”
Culturally Relevant Foods Meet Students’ Needs
Kaiser Permanente’s support also widens The Pantry’s operating budget to purchase foods that reflect Titan demographics. With strong Southeast Asian and Hispanic student populations at CSUF, culturally familiar foods allow The Pantry to provide more inclusive and diverse resources.
“The Kaiser Permanente grant allows us to focus on expanding our culturally significant and relevant foods,” said Koba. “We have a very diverse hub of students, so purchasing items that are in their preferred flavor profiles is especially important in helping students find a piece of home on campus.”
When needed, The Pantry also pairs convenience items with nutritional guidance, including informational sheets on how to build a better instant meal. Koba said changes as simple as adding an egg, corn or green beans can make meals more nutrient-dense.
Collaboration Strengthens Impact Across Campus
Beyond food distribution, the Food Pantry’s partnerships with Tuffy’s Basic Needs Services, TitanWELL and CHOMP allow students to expand their wellness education and receive hands-on learning with demonstrations showcasing simple, nutritious recipes.
“Overall, working together to raise awareness of all these resources has been so impactful as each of our resources is kind of supplementary,” said Koba. “We, as The Pantry, do not have the capacity to meet everyone’s basic needs, but together, Tuffy’s Basic Needs Services, Titan Well and CHOMP can help provide additional support to students in various forms.”
Along with campus partners, volunteers across ASI have become essential to The Pantry’s success.
“I love how we all, as ASI, come together and help with events. Our events would not be possible without the volunteers who help distribute the food and provide aid to the students,” said Koba. “It’s so amazing to have all of our ASI coworkers come together, interact with the students and see the real difference The Pantry has made in their lives.”
A Lasting Impact on Student Well-Being
For students juggling work, family responsibilities and academic expectations, The Pantry’s support can remove one key source of stress students may feel throughout the semester.
“Providing access to consistent, reliable resources ensures that students can focus on their education instead of worrying about their next meal,” said Truong. “It’s about creating stability so students can thrive both academically and personally.”
By Sofia Serrano