Student Support Programs - Basic Needs and Slug Support

*$25,000 match available*

College can be a challenging time; access to affordable and healthy food, stable housing, and comprehensive health resources should not be additional stressors. 

UCSC’s Slug Support Program identifies students who are navigating difficult or challenging situations and helps them resolve their concerns. The program takes a two-pronged approach to support: Basic Needs offers the Redwood Free Market food pantry and Calfresh assistance, and Slug Support provides direct financial assistance, emergency housing assistance, and emergency funds for students to help with medical bills, dental bills, and transportation support in times of need. This unique approach helps students focus on their time at university and reduces barriers to graduation.

The UCSC Slug Support Program promotes early intervention with students to keep financial problems from escalating into a crisis. UCSC's Slug Support Program’s team of case managers work directly with students to help them develop a student-centered plan and resolve the barriers they are facing. 

The Basic Needs Team works to alleviate some of the immediate and long-term burdens of food insecurity through their food pantry, outreach, and CalFresh assistance, as well as peer-led programs to spread awareness of food resources. UC Santa Cruz works with our local food bank to purchase food for the Redwood Free Market. Thanks to this partnership, every dollar donated to the Redwood Free Market goes even further. Every $1 donated provides 4 meals for a student in need. 

The impact your gifts can have:

$5.25 provides meals for a student for a week

$50 supplies medication for a quarter

$75 funds a tank of gas to get to work or family emergency visits home

$200 covers a medical bill

$500  pays a dental bill

Make a gift to the Basic Needs Team to provide healthy meals for students in need, or to the Slug Support Program to ease the burden of emergency situations.