Cal Poly Basic Needs closed applications for free meal vouchers just hours after opening them due to a “significantly higher volume” than usual. The fall quarter application was supposed to remain open for five days.
The program, which gives students free money to spend at select campus dining locations, hopes to provide “meaningful support” to a lower number of students rather than spreading thin the limited funds, according to Campus Health & Wellbeing spokesperson Diego Abeloos.
The application will open again during the first week of winter quarter and awards are determined based on financial need as shown by a student’s preexisting financial aid package.
Roughly 90% of meal voucher applicants received money last year, and those administering the meal vouchers intend to maintain a similar rate this year as their budget allows, Abeloos said. Students received an average of $150 per quarter last year.
READ MORE: Meal Voucher applications open for students with financial need
Basic Needs received close to 1,000 applications on Monday, Sept. 22, the day when fall quarter applications both opened and closed. That’s 10% more applications than last year, which was 5% more than the year prior.
“The increase reflects increased food insecurity among students,” Abeloos said in an email to Mustang News. “But also growing awareness and destigmatization of the resources available to support them.”
He cited that 39% of Cal Poly students reported they were food insecure in the 2024 American College Health Survey. The high demand emphasizes the need to continue funding and expanding basic needs programs in the future, Abeloos added.
Last year, the program garnered $400,000 in donations — which were then given out to students to use as dining dollars on their PolyCards — and fulfilled more than 2,300 applications for all three quarters last year, meaning the program already received a disproportionate amount of applications for the quarter.
In the meantime, students who were unable to apply for vouchers can rely on several other Campus Health & Wellbeing offerings for food assistance.
The Cal Poly Food Pantry provides free groceries to students Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the bottom floor of the Health Center. Cal Poly Cares grants provide short-term emergency financial assistance for students who are unable to pay for basic needs due to temporary, unexpected hardship. CalFresh is a statewide program that awards up to $298 per month in grocery money to students in a debit-card-like system.
Basic Needs Coordinators are available to help students experiencing food insecurities find options to fulfill their needs.
Correction: A previous version of this article spelled Diego Abeloos’ last name wrong.