Food Security Programs

What is Food Security?

SMC’s Office of Student Life along with the Associated Students Board of Directors have led the way in developing programs that directly provide nutritious food and resources to students. Student success is largely impacted by health and nutrition, and we recognize the challenge many of our students face accessing affordable and nutritious food. Santa Monica College offers several programs to address nutritional needs by providing free food through our Drive-Thru Food Bank program, delivering freshly made meals through the Meal Project and referrals to other resources such as CAL Fresh benefits and community food banks. Food security programs and events are supported by the Associated Students, Student Health Services, and the SMC Foundation.

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Pop-Up Drive-Thru Food Pantry

Wednesdays, 12:30-2:30 p.m. (or until supplies last) Rain or shine!

Requirements

Proof of Current Enrollment: Be prepared to show your SMC ID card or current enrollment. The student
must be present to pick up their food. No exceptions.
Limit: One (1) bag per student (or until supplies last)
All students must wear face coverings. Mandatory social distancing enforced.

SMC's Drive-Thru Pantry is made possible by:

Sunrise Produce
Westside Food Bank
Venice Family Clinic
The Butter End Cakery
Everytable
SMC Foundation
Vicente Foods

Drive-Thru Food Pantry Directions

Vehicles

All vehicles must enter Parking Lot #1 at Pearl Street, west of 20th Street. (Located behind the Science Building).
Once you reach the distribution booths, put your vehicle in park & turn off the engine.
Step out of your car to collect the food and quickly & safely return to depart.
Only students may exit the car. If multiple students arrive together, you must take turns exiting the vehicle to maintain social distancing.
No proxies will be accepted.
Mandatory social distancing will be strictly enforced.

No vehicle, no problem. Walk ups are welcome to enter from the sidewalk on Pico Blvd.

Walk-Up Line

A mandatory social distancing line – requiring each individual to stand a minimum of six (6) feet apart at
all times – will be strongly enforced.
It is recommended students using the walk-up line bring a cart or bags to carry provided food.

Meal Project/Everytable and SMC Foundation

The Meal Project at SMC is a free food delivery program that delivers 7 meals a week to your home
made fresh by Everytable. This project is made possible by the SMC Foundation and their partnership
with Everytable. The delivery area covers most of Los Angeles County. To be eligible, students must
email foodsecurity@smc.edu to provide their student ID number and residential address for verification
and eligibility.

CalFresh

You don’t have to choose between purchasing books and eating healthy! CalFresh is California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that provides individuals and families with money to buy food and groceries. You may be eligible for up to $192 per month in CalFresh benefits! Students and non-students can apply online at http://www.getcalfresh.org/. Applications can take as little as 10 minutes, are available in Spanish and Chinese languages, and you can receive money for food in as little as 30 days.

Individual assistance with the application may be scheduled with our Cal-Fresh specialist on Mondays and Wednesdays. To schedule an appointment, please email foodsecurity@smc.edu. There may be additional considerations for international students, so we recommend consulting with SMC food security staff before applying.

For additional resources please visit the Student Resources webpage.

The Bodega (COMING SOON)

Coming soon to campus is the Bodega: SMC’s first centralized food pantry! The Bodega neighbors the main cafeteria and will be open four days a week. Any currently enrolled student is welcome to come by during operating hours and choose from a selection of non-perishable food items, fresh produce, Everytable meals, toiletries, and clothing items.

Check back to this space for more updates!

More Food Resources

Contact

Food security issues can affect thousands of students on college campuses and SMC is here to help! A SMC Resource Specialist is available to meet with students virtually through zoom or by phone to address food security needs. That includes the Drive-Thru Food Pantry, delivered meals through the
Meal Project, and personalized assistance on for CalFresh applications. Email foodsecurity@smc.edu for additional support, questions, and program assistance.

How to Help SMC Students

Make a Tax Deductible Donation to FEED THEIR HOPES or Meal Project.
Sign-Up: Pick from a list of items on Amazon and we will distribute most critically needed items:
Pay-It-Forward: Sign up for the freshly prepared meal subscription offered by our food security partners Everytable. Use the code SMCFRIEND to unlock savings for you, while providing meals to a need student. (No long term commitments necessary.)
Bake-A-Batch: In addition to supporting students, we have an Emergency Relief Team that is comprised of first responders and critical professionals who have been working 24/7 and need a little homemade love. Bake a batch of homemade cookies, place in a disposable container and drop at the designated address. For more information, visit.
Deliver & Drop: Sign up to deliver and drop food to seniors or traditional students across the LA basin. Email foundation@SMC.edu and provide your name, email, phone number. We will send more information once we organize our first delivery next week.
Share! Share! Share! The more that we can share the strength and show support to our neighbor, the more love and humanity will prevail through this challenging period.

Call to Action

For colleges learning how to develop food programs, feel free to use any of these documents as you ramp up food security for your student population