UIW’s food pantry has a new home, more space and more than food for students who need a little help.
By Theresa Servin
Carolina Denning, a nutrition and dietetics intern, remembers when Cardinals’ Cupboard was there for her.
As a UIW undergraduate and student-athlete living on campus, sometimes she needed extra supplies or something to get through a weekend or campus break.
Now she’s back.
After completing her master’s degree in health administration, Denning returned to UIW as a graduate nutrition and dietetic intern. This time, she is helping other Cardinals use the same resource that once helped her.
And that resource just got a much bigger home.
Cardinals’ Cupboard has moved from Joeris Hall to Founders Hall, giving UIW’s food pantry more room for food, hygiene products, baby supplies, donations and other necessities — while creating a more accessible place for students to ask for help.
Why the move matters
Pantry Coordinator Eliana Dillard said the old Joeris Hall location created several problems.
It was up the hill and difficult for some students and other members of the UIW community to find. Receiving and unloading deliveries from the San Antonio Food Bank and other sources was difficult, too.
Then there was the simplest problem: the pantry had outgrown the space.
“It was just small,” Dillard said. “But I feel like with this larger space, we’re able to handle and serve the community better.”
The pantry manager called Founders Hall “a big upgrade,” particularly because of the additional storage and dedicated work areas.
At Joeris, staff worked alongside pantry inventory in a much tighter environment. The Founders Hall location gives them separate workspace and room to meet with students.
That matters because staff members want Cardinals’ Cupboard to become a place students can approach even when food isn’t their only concern.
If a student needs help connecting with another UIW resource, staff said they can help point that student in the right direction.
Yes, there’s food. But there’s more.
A student walking into Cardinals’ Cupboard may need groceries.
Someone else may need a toothbrush.
Another may need diapers.
The pantry provides food along with hygiene products, baby food and diapers, including adult diapers, depending on available inventory.
Fresh and frozen foods are also part of the program. Staff said refrigerators and freezers are being moved from Joeris Hall to Founders Hall, so the pantry can continue storing fresh produce and frozen products when available.
Staff said Cardinals’ Cupboard works with the San Antonio Food Bank, H-E-B, Starbucks and Sam’s to help stock the pantry.
The larger space means staff can potentially bring in and store more of those supplies.
From the back of a truck to Founders Hall
Cardinals’ Cupboard did not always have this much room.
In fact, it didn’t have a room at all.
UIW launched the program in fall 2018 to address food insecurity within the university community. During the pilot program, volunteers distributed food once a week from the back of a donated St. Vincent de Paul truck.
During its first academic year, UIW reported serving more than 150 people and distributing more than 8,600 pounds of food, toiletries and other goods.
The pantry later moved into Joeris Hall and continued growing.
By 2023, UIW reported Cardinals’ Cupboard had served more than 1,400 members of the campus and local community and distributed more than 16,000 pounds of food and other items during a one-year period.
In 2024, more than 500 people were served during UIW’s first pop-up food distribution event with the San Antonio Food Bank.
Now, eight years after starting from the back of a truck, Cardinals’ Cupboard is entering its next chapter at Founders Hall.
Asking for help shouldn’t feel awkward
A bigger pantry doesn’t help if students are uncomfortable using it.
Denning knows that.
She said there can be a stigma surrounding food pantries, but her own experience showed her how ordinary the need can be.
For a student-athlete living on campus, it might mean needing peanut butter and jam for the weekend. Someone else might need hygiene products or something to eat after other campus options have closed.
There doesn’t have to be a crisis before someone walks through the door.
Staff members said they want students to feel comfortable coming in, asking questions and taking what they need.
For Denning, that message carries some weight.
She once walked into Cardinals’ Cupboard as a student who needed the resource.
Now she’s one of the people welcoming students inside.
What students need to know
Students should bring their UIW student ID when visiting.
First-time visitors complete a registration process that allows the pantry to track usage and inventory. Staff said those numbers help them understand what students need and how much inventory should be ordered or obtained.
After that initial registration, future visits are simpler.
Staff said there is no set limit on how often a student can visit and no fixed limit on how much a student can take. They simply ask visitors to take what they need while remembering other students use the pantry, too.
Current hours are Monday and Wednesday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; and Friday, 2–5 p.m.
Staff members are also working on options for students whose classes or jobs make those hours difficult, including appointments and possible assistance outside regular operating hours.
The pantry is already helping students at Founders Hall, although its official opening is expected Sept. 23.
Want to donate? Think like a student.
Pantry donations now have a new drop-off point. Smith said donations for Cardinals’ Cupboard will be accepted at the Founders Hall location and will no longer be collected at the Administration Building or the former Joeris Hall location.
The Ettling Center remains open at its existing location and continues providing its other services; the change applies to Cardinals’ Cupboard donation drop-offs.
Smith offered a simple suggestion for donors: “As a college student, what would I need?”
Consider what someone living in a residence hall can actually prepare. Some students don’t have a stove or full kitchen. Others may need something they can eat after campus dining has closed.
Food isn’t the only useful donation, either.
Laundry detergent, hygiene products, baby supplies and other everyday necessities can all help.
Eight years ago, Cardinals’ Cupboard served the UIW community from the back of a truck. Today it has a larger home and more resources, but its purpose remains the same: ensuring that every Cardinal who needs help knows there is a place- and a community-ready to support them.
