Welcome to
The Food Pantry
at Columbia
Our mission is simple: provide nutritious food to any University student in need from any of Columbia University’s 21 Schools.
Click below to request a disbursement or to register. Feel free to browse around this page to get answers to many of your questions!
University Real-timE DatA
Our locations
Lerner Location
Alfred Lerner Hall
Our Lerner location is on the 5th Floor (campus side) of Alfred Lerner Hall. This location is accessible to any student in need – no matter the School affiliation!
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Summer Hours
Tuesdays & Thursdays
2 pm - 3:30 pm
Barnard Location
Barnard Hall
The Barnard location was formerly at 125 LeFrak Center in Barnard Hall. This location is no longer available.
- Closed Indefinitely (Re-opening - TBD)
Medical Center Location
50 Haven Avenue
Our Medical Center location is on the 1st Floor at 50 Haven Avenue, between 168th & 169th Streets. Although on the CUIMC campus, this location is accessible to any student in need – no matter the School affiliation!
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Wednesdays 6 pm - 9 pm
Saturdays 1 pm - 4 pm
Volunteer Opportunities
Now, more than ever, volunteers are needed to staff our open hours and support various events and projects.
There is no minimum number of hours required, and you decide when you can volunteer based on your on availability and interest. Both virtual and on-site training is available. Sign up now to be ready to help for the start of the semester.
Board Member Appointment
The executive team is integral to the advancement of The Food Pantry at Columbia’s mission. Most Vice Chair roles average 10 – 15 hours per week. Check out our website for the available Board positions.
For those interested in applying for one of our Pantry Operations roles, while we will accept all applications, priority is given to those who have experience with, or major in, operational or project management.
Committee Member Appointment
Committee members assist each of the Vice Chairs to effectively perform their respective projects.
The specific requirements, number of hours, and tasks are determined by each respective Vice Chair. Furthermore, each Vice Chair decides when they will bring on new committee members, and how many committee members they will appoint. Check out our website for the available committee member positions.
Frequently-Asked Questions
The United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) defines food insecurity as a reduction of quality, variety, or desirability of diet or eating pattern with reduced food intake.
As a college student, this definition can be further detailed in a number of ways:
- Skipping meals because of a lack of dining swipes
- Skipping meals because of a lack of money
- Taking containers to dining halls to take food back to a residence
- Contemplating whether to buy food or pay for other essential services such as rent, metrocards, or medicine
- Sleeping in public locations on or close to campus to save money on transportation costs
- Internalizing the effects of food insecurity out of shame or the stigma that plagues this issue
- Purposefully seeking out events that have catered or packaged food
The following are some examples of things that do not constituent food insecurity:
- Accessing resources as an alternative to traditional grocery stores
- Accessing resources because of a lack of time to go to traditional grocery stores
- Accessing resources as an alternative to dining services
- Accessing resources in order to stock up on food for a holiday break
- Accessing resources to share amongst roommates
While neither list is exhaustive, it is up to each individual to decide whether or not their respective circumstance constituents food insecurity.
- Click/tap on the registration link in the menu section
- Complete all required fields
- The Username can be anything, not necessarily your UNI
- The User Email must be a Columbia-affiliate email address (UNI@columbia.edu, UNI@barnard.edu, UNI@utsnyc.edu). Please do not use aliases or personal email addresses
- Click on the Shop menu option
- Select the location where you would like to pick up your order
- Lerner location: 5th floor Lerner Hall
- Barnard location: 125 LeFrak Center, Barnard Hall (closed indefinitely)
- Medical Center location: 1st floor 50 Haven Avenue
- Select the food category or categories that best serves your dietary needs
- Select the food items that you want, up to the total credit allotment provided to you during the registration process
- Go to your Cart when ready to check out
- Ensure the shipping location is set for the location where your items are located
- Proceed to checkout when ready
- Select the pick-up date
- Click Place order when ready to submit
While our locations only have the capacity to provide non-perishable food, and refrigerated and frozen food at our Barnard location, we have partnered with Corbin Hill Food Project to offer subsidized vouchers to receive one (1) fresh-produce disbursement a week from their farmshare.
To request a voucher, head to our Shop and click on the Corbin Hill Farmshares icon. This will provide more information as to the specifics of this initiative.
Check out our full FAQ for full details about The Food Pantry at Columbia.