Food Recovery

Food Recovery

Grab n Go Meals is our free recovered meal program. Our Food Recovery team picks up prepared food donations each week day. Student staff, interns, and volunteers intentionally transport, sort, store, and repackage food in the kitchen on the 1st floor of MLK at our Welcome Center! To serve visitors as equitably as possible, we distribute through partners and our Welcome Center where meals are replenished every hour based on usage and meal availability.

Who is Grab n Go for?

Meals are intentionally prioritized for students with barriers to making meals, without access to a kitchen, enough funds, and/or time. To reduce barriers to access and ensure no food goes to waste, we have opened up eligibility to all students when meals are available.

How to Access Grab n Go Meals

We've partnered with organizations that are already supporting students with higher rates of food insecurity. Students who are part of Berkeley Underground Scholars, Berkeley Hope Scholars, Student Parent Center, and Undocumented Student Program can access meals in their respective spaces. We also share recovered food with Suitcase Clinic to support dinners for the broader community.

All additional meals will be offered at our Welcome Center to anyone who stops by. We will be setting meals aside proportionally for each hour. Please note that total meal availability and type is dependent on donations and cannot be guaranteed. Variety and quantity may fluctuate.

You can check our Instagram story or stop by in person Monday through Friday between 1-4:30pm to see if there are meals available!

Food Recovery FAQs
I really enjoyed working with all who participate in the Food Recovery Team. They created a welcoming environment where it was okay to be ourselves. This greatly influenced me in staying and wanting to do the same for others in the space.
Maritza, Food Recovery Lead, Class of 2026