New mobile food pantry provides UC Irvine students with essentials to help make ends meet

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- A new mobile food pantry is proving to be a big help for UC Irvine students struggling to make ends meet.

The mobile pantry provides students with fresh produce, proteins, bread, pasta and other staples, giving them the opportunity to cook healthy meals.

After discovering the center's pantry, Daphne Liao's eating habits on campus changed. However, one problem remained - getting to and from there on foot or by shuttle with all those bags wasn't easy. Now, a new truck will make stops throughout student housing locations weekly.

Andrea Mora, the director of the UCI Basic Needs Center, said the pantry helps students from all walks of life.

"Some students and some families have less privilege and so the work that we do is really to try to kind of level out the field right and make sure that students don't have those socio-economic challenges getting in the way of their academics," she said.

Student Daniel Castillo said financial aid can't cover everything.

"I'm trying to cover tuition. I'm trying to cover housing. So having this food is really good for me plus it gives me an opportunity to learn how to cook on my own," he said.

The mobile pantry has the capacity to serve 200 students per trip. Food distributions will be every Friday starting Friday, Dec. 8.