Steve Hoang had more than schoolwork to fret about his first year of college. He went hungry.

“I lost 25 pounds,” said the UC Irvine sophomore. “It was one of my biggest worries, that I wouldn’t have enough to eat.”

The tall, thin 18-year-old was among hundreds of students who lined up this past week to take a peek at UCI’s newly expanded food pantry, intended to help students like him.

Across Southern California and the nation, colleges and universities no longer view the concept of the starving student as an inevitable joke, but a serious issue. To address what’s become known as “food insecurity,” campuses are opening up free pantries.

Some are as small as closets. In fact, UCLA’s pantry is called the Food Closet.

Christopher Solares, left, of Orange, and Monica Orozco, right, of Tustin, pick out food items at Santiago Canyon College’s HawkÕs Nest Food Pantry onThursday September 14, 2017. A strong turnout left little selection at the end of the grand opening day for the pantry which offers free nonperishable food, fresh produce and hygiene products for enrolled students and staff. This is the latest in a growing number of free food pantries at colleges and universities across the country. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Students line up to check out the new expanded food FRESH Basic Needs Hub at UC Irvine following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. The new expanded food pantry and resource center is now one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus, according to UCI officials. Colleges and universities across the country are creating food banks for students who may otherwise go hungry. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Fresh fruit and vegetables are now part of UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub which has been newly renovated, making it one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus, and the largest in the UC system. Colleges and universities across the country are creating food banks for students who may otherwise go hungry. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

UC Irvine students Brenda Solis, left, and Nick Wolf, right, serve up some healthy fare at UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

UCI alumni Alex Fung, from left, Jennifer Lima and Jessica Figueroa were the team of students that were involved in a bigger and better food pantry at UC Irvine. UC Irvine hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, for its new expanded food pantry and resource center. UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub, which originally opened in 2015 inside a closet, is now one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus, according to UCI officials. Colleges and universities across the country are creating food banks for students who may otherwise go hungry. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Dave Sundby, director of Residence Life and First Year Experience at Chapman University, stands inside a food pantry at the Orange-based private college. The private university, which serves approximately 8,300 undergraduate and graduate students, has a small closet-size food pantry to help students in need. (COURTESY OF CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY)

Students line up to check out the new expanded food FRESH Basic Needs Hub at UC Irvine following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. The new expanded food pantry and resource center is now one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus and the largest in the UC system, according to UCI officials. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Students line up to check out the new expanded food FRESH Basic Needs Hub at UC Irvine following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. The new expanded food pantry and resource center is now one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus and the largest in the UC system, according to UCI officials. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Prepared and unprepared foods are now part of UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub which has been newly renovated, making it one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus, according to UCI officials. Colleges and universities across the country are creating food banks for students who may otherwise go hungry. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

UCI Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Thomas A. Parham, center, celebrates UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub, the new expanded food pantry and resource center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. Associate Vice-Chancellor Dr. Stephanie Reyes -Tuccio, Basic Needs Coordinator Andrea Gutierrez, Director of Student Outreach and Retention Center Dr. Graciela Fernandez, Assistant Vice Chancellor Edgar Dormitorio and OC Food Bank Director Mark Lowry help with the ribbon-cutting.(Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)



UC Irvine students Brenda Solis, left, and Nick Wolf, right, are served up some healthy fare at UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub is its new expanded food pantry and resource center. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Mariel Calva, left, and Steve Hoang, right, snack on spring rolls following UC Irvine’s FRESH Basic Needs Hub’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. The new expanded food pantry and resource center is one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus, according to UCI officials. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

UC Irvine hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, for its new expanded food pantry and resource center. UCI’s FRESH Basic Needs Hub, which originally opened in 2015 inside a closet, is now one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus, according to UCI officials. Colleges and universities across the country are creating food banks for students who may otherwise go hungry. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sunny Jin welcomes visitors to the newly renovated pantry at UC Irvine called FRESH Basic Needs Hub on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Students line up to check out the new expanded food FRESH Basic Needs Hub at UC Irvine UCIÕs following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017.(Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)



UCI Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Thomas A. Parham, center, celebrates UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub, the new expanded food pantry and resource center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. Pictured from left is Dr. Stephanie Reyes -Tuccio, Andrea Gutierrez, Dr. Graciela Fernandez, Assistant Vice Chancellor Edgar Dormitorio and Mark Lowry, director of the OC Food Bank. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

UCI students Chantal Gonzalez, left, and Lady Boonlua, right, snack on salad rolls at the UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub at UC Irvine following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, for its new expanded food pantry and resource center. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Asahwini Athreya, center, puts together a healthy spring roll at UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub. “It is honestly something that will help a bunch with students on campus, ” said Athreya. UC Irvine hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, for its new expanded food pantry and resource center. The UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub originally opened in 2015 inside a closet, is now one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus, according to UCI officials. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

UCIrvine students Xiomara Rivas, left, and Hugo Mejicano, right, munch on healthy spring rolls at the newly refurbished FRESH Basic Needs Hub. UC Irvine hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, for its new expanded food pantry and resource center. UCIÕs FRESH Basic Needs Hub, which originally opened in 2015 inside a closet, is now one of the largest facilities of its kind on an American college campus, according to UCI officials. Colleges and universities across the country are creating food banks for students who may otherwise go hungry. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Loyola Marymount University, a private university in Los Angeles, launched a food pantry last March to help students in need. Students can access it five days a week, and it operates on the honor system. No ID is required. (Courtesy of Aaron Dominguez, Loyola Marymount University)



Students line up to check out the new expanded food FRESH Basic Needs Hub at UC Irvine UCIÕs following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. It is a new expanded food pantry and resource center. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Junior Catherine Chin looks for some snack items from the Beach Pantry at Cal State Long Beach on Tuesday, September 26, 2017. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Beach Pantry is stocked with donated cereal at Cal State Long Beach on Tuesday, September 26, 2017. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Beach Pantry is stocked with donated cereal at Cal State Long Beach on Tuesday, September 26, 2017. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ali Raisdanai and Margaret Antonio-Palomares, who represent CalWORKS at Long Beach City College, tour the Beach Pantry on the campus of Cal State Long Beach to get information about starting their own pantry for students on Tuesday, September 26, 2017. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Freshman Kyle Eldert grabs some instant noodles from the Beach Pantry at Cal State Long Beach on Tuesday, September 26, 2017. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Beach Pantry is stocked with donated cereal as students make their selections at Cal State Long Beach on Tuesday, September 26, 2017. (Photo by Nick Agro, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Jazmine Franklin, left, and Patricia Chavira, right, both of Orange, make their selection at Santiago Canyon College’s HawkÕs Nest Food Pantry onThursday September 14, 2017. “I am an orphan,” said Franklin, “I spend on necessities and there is sometimes no money left for food. ” Franklin does not have extended family for support. A strong turnout left little selection at the end of the day. The food pantry was set up as a farmer’s market with free nonperishable food, fresh produce and hygiene products for enrolled students and staff. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bill Jeffery, a volunteer at Santiago Canyon College’s HawkÕs Nest Food Pantry stocks the food pantry with food items on Thursday, September 14, 2017, after it’s grand opening. A strong turnout of students left little selection at the end of the day. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Isabel Neri, of Orange, picks out potatoes at the Santiago Canyon College’s HawkÕs Nest Food Pantry on Thursday, September 14, 2017, following its grand opening. ” I have three kids, ” sometimes its either food, or what the kids need, or my books. Having this – now I can have my books.” A strong turnout of students left little food at the end of the day. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Linda Espinoza, left, of Anaheim, and Mia Snopel, right of Anaheim pick out food at Santiago Canyon College’s HawkÕs Nest Food Pantry on Thursday September 14, 2017, following it’s grand opening. This is the latest in a growing number of free food pantries at colleges and universities across the country. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Christopher Solares, left, of Orange, holds a bag packed with food at Santiago Canyon College’s HawkÕs Nest Food Pantry on Thursday September 14, 2017. ” Lately it’s been really hard with my family, ” said Solares, “My dad is jumping from job to job and it’s a little hard with groceries.” This is the latest in a growing number of free food pantries at colleges and universities across the country. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Fullerton College may have been the first in Orange County to open a food pantry. The Chris Lamm & Toni DuBois Walker Memorial Food Bank is supported by donations and run by volunteer staff and students.

Others began small and grew.

Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday dedicated their renamed Obershaw DEN pantry, which was remodeled and has added refrigeration for perishables.

A day earlier, the UCI campus celebrated the opening of a remodeled pantry touted as the biggest in the UC system. At more than 1,800 square feet, it features not only free food and toiletries but sitting areas, a “kitchenette” with small appliances and a space for weekly food demonstrations and nutrition talks.

There are more than 540 campus food pantries across the U.S. registered with the College and University Food Bank Alliance, which is tracking the trend.

All UC campuses – and all but one of the California state universities – now have food pantries, as do many community colleges.

Even some pricey private colleges, including Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and Chapman University in Orange, say they have students who simply can’t afford to cover the cost of tuition, books, labs, transportation and food.

“Some LMU students were surprised to see that kind of need at LMU,” said Lorena Chavez, the university’s assistant director for community engagement. Then, they began inquiring about it for research papers and to offer donations.

“For me, it was that ‘aha’ moment,” Chavez said. Need isn’t restricted to any one campus, she said, “especially when it comes to food insecurity.”

Going Hungry

For some students who visit local campus pantries, the free food is more than a supplement. It’s a necessity.

Studies indicate a significant percentage of college students are experiencing various levels of food insecurity, ranging from going hungry to poor diets:

A 2016 UC survey of nearly 9,000 students found that 42 percent experienced food insecurity; 23 percent had diets of reduced quality, variety or desirability; and 19 percent weren’t getting enough food because they couldn’t afford it.

and 19 percent weren’t getting enough food because they couldn’t afford it. A 2017 Community College report found that about 12.2 percent of students experienced food insecurity.

report found that about 12.2 percent of students experienced food insecurity. A 2016 Cal State University system study reporting preliminary data based on Cal State Long Beach respondents suggested 24 percent of students were experiencing food insecurity. A second phase of the survey of all the system’s 23 campuses is expected to be released next year.

“The narrative of the starving student is part of the problem,” said Rashida Crutchfield, a Cal State Long Beach assistant professor and lead investigator on the CSU report.

“A lot of people believe that struggle and eating a cup of noodles is just part of the college experience,” she said.

For many of the students, it’s not easy navigating the new terrain of college life. Some don’t want to burden their parents by asking for more financial help. Others know their parents, perhaps struggling themselves, can’t give more.

Today’s students don’t all fit the stereotype of an 18-year-old, single person. Many are returning to school as older students, some with families to support.

Whether there are more students today going hungry or awareness of a long-existing problem is growing is unclear. But officials cite factors that could be contributing to an increased need, including changing campus demographics and more students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as while higher costs for tuition and housing.

“Because no one has been doing this research, we don’t have comparable data to know whether it has changed over time,” Crutchfield said.

Studies and educators note that those who go hungry may also not have a place to sleep. They can find themselves crashing on a friend’s couch or sleeping in their cars.

Cal State Northridge is among Southern California’s colleges that have developed partnerships with community organizations to address food insecurity. And the statewide university system is looking to work with more partners to address housing insecurity, said Denise Bevly, director of the CSU system’s Student Wellness and Basic Needs Initiative.

Campus partners include the West L.A. Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and the Orange County Food Bank. Campus food pantries are “an idea whose time has come,” said Mark Lowry, executive director of the Orange County Food Bank.

What they offer and how they work

How the pantries operate and what they offer varies.

Some, like the Beach Pantry at Cal State Long Beach, which launched last year in what used to be a janitorial closet, are open daily. Others have fewer hours, including the new Hawk’s Nest Food Pantry at Santiago Canyon College, which recently dedicated a program open every other Thursday.

All of the food banks offer nonperishable items, like canned goods, granola bars and the perennial college staple, mac ’n’ cheese in a box. But some also offer fresh produce.

“My daughter would like this. She loves strawberries,” said Ivon Fuerte, 24, a mom who splits her time between two community colleges and raising her two young daughters. She picked up juices, soup, tuna and some vegetables and fresh fruit at the Hawk’s Nest pantry grand opening Sept. 14.

Santiago Canyon College stores its non-perishables in a donated shipping container, but sets up the food, including fresh fruits and vegetables stacked inside baskets, on tables that are lined up under tents to resemble an open-air farmer’s market.

Some campus food pantries have paid staff and a budget, while others rely mostly or solely on donations and volunteers

Fullerton College, possibly the first in Orange County to create a pantry, relies on donations and volunteers to serve some 63 to 70 students every Tuesday, said Adela Lopez, a retired professor emeritus who helped start the program.

“For a lot of these students, it’s been generational poverty. A lot of them are eligible for help and they don’t know about Cal Fresh,” Lopez said, referring to a government program that provides monthly food benefits to those who qualify.

In the UC system, President Janet Napolitano last year approved $3.3 million in new funding over two years to expand food pantry storage and access and expand student support services, among other things. Each campus received $151,000, in addition to $75,000 allocated in 2015.

Colleges and universities said they want to remove any stigma attached to asking for help.

Most local schools contacted said they protect students’ privacy but also ask students to swipe their student identification to ensure the benefactors are indeed registered students.

Loyola Marymount is one of the few that doesn’t staff its pantry and doesn’t ask for ID. To learn how often it was used, the school installed a system to count access. Last year, the door was opened almost 2,000 times.

UCLA also doesn’t require identification. And the school doesn’t know how many students use the program, said Antonio Sandoval, director of UCLA’s Community Programs Office, which oversees the food pantry.

UCLA was one of the first in the nation to open a food pantry, in 2009, after Michigan State and Oregon State universities, Sandoval said.

Since then, UCLA has been contacted by hundreds of colleges considering starting programs, he said.

Campuses also have different rules about how much they allow students to pick up. Cal State Long Beach, for example, limits students to five items per day. UCI tells students they can fill up to a couple of bags with groceries and sanitary products. Cal State San Bernardino has no limit.

Many campuses offer students other food help, including meal plan swipe credits donated by fellow students. At Cal State San Bernardino, students can also receive gift cards to grocery stores. Cal State Fullerton, the only Cal State that has yet to open a food pantry, is working on one. In the meantime, they offer students other help, including access to phone app alerts that notify students of left-over food following school events.

For students like Hoang, of UCI, who didn’t learn about his campus pantry until this year and lost weight as a freshman, the new campus facility is a welcome addition. As he toured it Wednesday, he pointed excitedly to inviting sandwiches in the refrigerated area.

“I lived on bread and ham last year,” he said.

On another shelf, sat something he said he hadn’t tasted in ages: boxed mashed potatoes with gravy.