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Things to know about the Basic Needs Center and Buff Pantry

Mobile Food Pantry
CU Boulder offers resources to help our campus community with food insecurity and meeting other basic needs. The Basic Needs Center can help students find equitable access to food, housing and other essential services. Faculty and staff can benefit from mobile food pantries offered monthly throughout the year and the community resources that are listed on their webpage. 

What is the Basic Needs Center?

The Basic Needs Center is the campus care collective. It connects students to essential resources by collaborating with on-campus and community partners. The center offers education on how to navigate local and national resources. Plus, it provides support in emergencies. 

 

Housing resources

The Basic Needs Center offers education and referrals to emergency housing resources.  

Learn about housing resources in the community and on campus: 

Food resources

The Basic Needs Center supports campus-based food programs and referrals to community food assistance. 

Learn more about food assistance programs: 

Workshops and events

The Basic Needs Center hosts workshops for students, faculty and staff. 

Here are the fall workshops and events open to faculty and staff. 

If you know of a student experiencing housing or food insecurity, you can make a referral to Student Support & Case Management by filling out the online form, calling 303-492-7348 or emailing sscm@colorado.edu.  

What are the Buff Pantry and mobile food pantries?

The Buff Pantry is part of the Basic Needs Center. CU Boulder’s on-campus food pantry offers various food options based on availability, donations and the time of year. The pantry aims to provide a solution to address food insecurity for students through timely food assistance. 

Clients are welcome to visit the Buff Pantry one time per week and will receive approximately 20 pounds of food per visit. The Buff Pantry provides fresh produce, shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen food and personal care items at no cost to students. 

The Basic Needs Center hosts mobile food pantries one Thursday per month to expand the reach of the Buff Pantry. These events are open to students, faculty, staff and community members in Boulder and Broomfield counties. Attendees may receive up to 30 pounds of food on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Buff Pantry Fall 2023 hours

  • Mondays: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 
  • Tuesdays: 2-6 p.m. 
  • Wednesdays: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 
  • Fridays: 2-6 p.m.

Fall 2023 mobile food pantry schedule

  • Thursday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. at UMC South Terrace. 
  • Thursday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church. 
  • Thursday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church.

SNAP applications

The Basic Needs Center can directly enroll students in SNAP in partnership with Hunger Free Colorado.

Ways to support the Basic Needs Center

The Basic Needs Center appreciates the support of the campus community. Your support goes directly towards funding and maintaining the center. It also ensures access for current and future CU Boulder students. Check out ways to support the Basic Needs Center.

Volunteer

  • ​Buff Pantry: Help organize the pantry, give tours, greet clients and log visits. 
  • Mobile food pantries: Help collect information, distribute food and manage the line. 
  • Swipe It Forward: Help with tabling at dining hall locations to encourage students to donate meals. 
  • Buff Break Boxes: Help our team distrubute fully prepared holiday meals to CU Boulder students.

Donate

Food drives

Contact the Basic Needs Center

We offer several ways to connect. If you have questions or want to learn more about the Basic Needs Center, you can email basicneeds@colorado.edu, call 303-735-4496 or visit the Basic Needs Center office in the University Memorial Center, room 458.