Gavilan College Food Pantry
Food Pantry Guidelines
Sign-In Requirement:
All individuals, especially students, are required to sign-in for food pantry services.
Limits and Regulations:
- Snacks: Participants may receive up to 2 snacks per day, including El Centro Snacks.
- Meal Card: Refer to the Meal Card FAQ for information.
- Food Distribution: Open to the community.
- Weekly Family Bags: Open to the community, once a week.
Meal Card
- Students will be limited to one transaction up to $20 per day.
- Students are not eligible for another meal card if they run out of funds before the next distribution cycle.
- Lost or stolen cards must be reported ASAP. Food Pantry staff will confirm the card has funds and is zeroed out before disbursing another meal card to the student.
- Students may check their card balance online at www.getyourbalance.com
- Students in need of assistance completing the EFC calculator may receive assistance within El Centro or the Food Pantry.
Disbursement Dates |
Amount |
Last day to redeem |
Eligibility Credit Students |
Eligibility Non-Credit Students |
September 3-30 |
$150/mth |
September 30th |
Students enrolled (6 units or equivalent in hours) for fall 2024 who have a completed 2024-2025 FAFSA or CADAA application with $1,500 or less SAI are eligible to pick up a monthly meal card from the food pantry. |
Students enrolled (6 units or equivalent in hours) 2024 who complete the 2024-2025 SAI Calculator and bring a copy showing $1,500 or less may be eligible." |
October 1-31 |
$150/mth |
October 31st |
Special thanks to Gavilan College leadership and funding from Federal Emergency CARES Act, CRRSAA Grants (HEERF, and Basic Needs funding) for making these meal cards possible! 🙌
Gavilan College Food Distribution
Open to the community. Families are required to pre-register for each distribution by clicking on the date below. You may register for all upcoming distributions in advance. Food distributions take place on the Gilroy Campus in Parking Lot H from 1:30-2:45 PM. If you have difficulty registering please call us at (408) 852-2855 or email us at foodpantry@gavilan.edu
Distribution Dates:
Weekly Family Bags
A weekly family bag is a collection of food items provided by Second Harvest that you can receive every week. You can choose from a variety of grains and canned food. Please note that a sign-in form is required when picking up your bag at the food pantry.
CalFresh Application Assistance
CalFresh, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, provides monthly food benefits to individuals and families with low-income and provides economic benefits to communities. CalFresh is the largest food program in California and provides an essential hunger safety net.
Visit the Food Pantry Mon-Thursday 8-4 PM to get CalFresh application assistance.