Food Security Programs

Spring 2024 Semester Hours

• Monday10:00 am – 2:30 pm
• Tuesday10:00 am – 2:30 pm
• Wednesday11:00 am – 4:30 pm
• Thursday10:00 am – 2:30 pm
• Friday10:00 am – 2:30 pm

SMC's Bodega will observe all District holidays.

Bodega is located in the Cayton Building and neighbors the Health Services office and the main cafeteria on the east side (by the science building).

Any enrolled student is welcome to come by during operating hours and receive non-perishable food items, fresh produce, and toiletries.

Bodega is open 5 days a week during Fall and Spring semesters. Summer and Fall intersessions hours may vary.

Instructions

To go to Bodega, all students must complete the following:

Bodega Bites Sites provide SMC staff with the ability to provide a free healthy snack to students who may be experiencing food insecurity. Snacks include granola bars, cereal bars, nuts, and other shelf-stable healthy choices. This program is made possible by the SMC Foundation’s generous donors, who care about our students. Snack quantity and options may vary. 

 (15) SMC Bodega Bites Locations

SMC Main Campus Building	OFFice &  Floor
Business (BUS)	Admin Office 1st Floor
Cayton Center	Associated Students/Office of Student Life 2nd Floor
Cayton Center	Veterans Success Center Basement
Corsair Gym (GYM)	Athletics Admin Office 2nd Floor
Drescher Hall (DH)	STEM Office (DH 301 & DH 301A) 3rd Floor
Math Complex (MC)	Math Lab (MC84) 1st Floor
Life & Physical Science Complex (SCI)	Faculty Office Main Lobby 2nd Floor
Student Services Center (SSC)	Center for Students with Disabilities 1st Floor
Student Services Center (SSC)	Adelante/Black Collegians 2nd Floor
Student Services Center (SSC)	EOPS Suite 2nd Floor
Student Services Center (SSC)	Counseling 2nd Floor

Satellite Campus	Building	OFFice & Floor
Bundy Campus	Main Building	Faculty Offices 3rd Floor
Center for Media & Design (CMD)	Building A	Administrative  Office/CMD 240 2nd Floor
Emeritus Campus (EC)	Main Building	Lobby 104 1st Floor
Performing Arts Campus (PAC)	Main Building	Faculty Office 2nd Floor

Want to support SMC Bodega Bites? Donate to the Basic Needs Fund.

SMC Foundation’s Meal Project provides currently enrolled Santa Monica College students who are experiencing food insecurity with meal support. The goal is to help students stay in school so that they can accomplish their educational aspirations without experiencing severe hunger. The program allows students to pick up fresh Everytable meals from the SMC Bodega and place to-go orders from participating restaurants through Bento.

Students interested in joining must complete an online application to provide their student ID number for verification and eligibility.

Applications are only taken during an open enrollment period. The Open Enrollment period for the Winter and Spring 2024 semesters is from January 8th through February 29th, 2024.

If you need additional food assistance after the open enrollment period has ended, please make an appointment with a Basic Needs Counselor.

You don’t have to choose between purchasing books and eating healthy! CalFresh is California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that provides individuals and families with money to buy food and groceries. You may be eligible for up to $250 per month in CalFresh benefits! Students and non-students can apply online at Get CalFresh. Applications can take as little as 30 minutes, are available in Spanish and Chinese languages, and you can receive money for food in as little as 30 days.

Individual assistance with the application may be scheduled with our Basic Needs Counselors. To schedule an appointment, please email foodsecurity@smc.edu. There may be additional considerations for international students, so we recommend consulting with SMC food security staff before applying.

For additional resources, please refer to:

• CalFresh Overview
• Student Resources webpage

COVID Food Resources
How to Shop on a Budget
The Bodega Cookbook 

1. Make a Tax Deductible Donation to the Basic Needs Fund.
2. Sign-Up: Pick from a list of items on Amazon and we will distribute most critically needed items:
3. Share! Share! Share! The more that we can share the strength and show support to our neighbor, the more love and humanity will prevail through this challenging period.

For colleges learning how to develop food programs, feel free to use any of these documents as you ramp up food security for your student population

• Hunger: Not Impossible
• Basic Needs Committee Meeting Agenda (Sample)
• Giving Thanksgiving (Sample Safety Plan)