Food Recovery

Food Recovery

Our Food Recovery Team does weekly food donation pickups from all UC Berkeley dining halls and on-campus restaurants. We repackage these prepared foods into meals in our commercial kitchen.


We redistribute these meals through our GrabnGo Meal Program available at BNC Open Hours to students referred by Basic Needs staff and in campus equity partner spaces. This is a new program that has grown out of our food recovery efforts and is still evolving. Meals are limited so they are currently prioritized for students referred by a member of the Basic Needs team.

GrabnGo Meals & Other Food Resources

GrabnGo Overview

This program is supplemental to the Food Pantry and aims to prioritize prepared meals for students who are unable to cook or whose food needs extend well beyond what the Pantry and CalFresh can provide.

We are currently making meals available to referred students through GrabnGo pick up hours during BNC Welcome Center Open Hours. Our team also partners with Berkeley Hope Scholars, Berkeley Underground Scholars, Student Parent Center, and Undocumented Students Programs to provide ready-to-eat meals in spaces students are already accessing, as well as serving as a connection point to other basic needs resources.

We hope to expand to support more students through equity support spaces while also giving out extra meals through the BNC Open Hours. Meals are currently supplied via prepared food from Berkeley Dining and/or Just Fare

Visit BNC Open Hours

To learn more about GrabnGo and other resources, please stop by the Basic Needs Center Open Hours, hosted in our Welcome Center on the 1st floor of the MLK Student Union, Monday-Friday from 1:00-4:30pm

Visit the Food Pantry

If you are a student in need, please visit the Basic Needs Center Food Pantry for groceries to cook your own meals.

Reach Out for More Support

For students with needs that cannot be met by the Food Pantry and CalFresh, we recommend filling out the Assistance Form so our team can explore other food options depending on need.

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