Food assistance - University of Wollongong

Free food assistance for UOW students

Food assistance is available to current UOW students during these times when we are not all together on our campuses.

This has been supported through the generosity of UOW staff as well as members and organisations in the wider UOW community through the Food+ with Care Project, the Study NSW and Foodbank Partnership, as well as the Pulse Pantry.

Additionally, we are a hamper pick up point for the Study NSW and Food Bank Partnership which provides a limited number of free food hampers to international students in NSW, and is proudly funded by the NSW Government.

How to access food assistance

International students in NSW

Study NSW x Foodbank Hampers - Study NSW has partnered with Foodbank NSW & ACT to provide a limited number of free food hampers to international students in NSW. UOW is a current distribution point for Wollongong.

To access a hamper from the Wollongong campus, please email: student-programs@uow.edu.au.

If you are a UOW international student based in the wider Sydney region, please check out your local collection point.

All UOW students

Pulse Pantry - The Pulse Pantry is a new initiative to continue supporting UOW students throughout 2021 providing a "grab & go" approach to food assistance on the Wollongong Campus.

The Pulse Pantry is open every Wednesday from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

Additional support and information

Saturday Free Food for Students Market is paused due to changes in demand.

Further information and support

Please contact your relevant UOW Student Support Adviser.
Wollongong area - further information is available through the Fair Food Directory or through Wollongong City Council.
Sydney area - further information is available through Study NSW.

Food+ with Care Project

Due to the incredible generosity of UOW and UOW Pulse staff, students, as well as the wider UOW community, UOW’s Food+ with Care Project has donated pantry packs to over 4000 students in need across Wollongong and Sydney.

Sarah: The food initiative started as a weekly opportunity to just provide students with a grocery bag of food. It's now what's called the Food+ with Care project, and it's supported by UOW staff, UOW Pulse staff, community, students and our community partners.

So we're providing pantry items and fresh fruit and vegetables every week so that they can actually go top up their supplies that they might have or also feed themselves for a week.

Thanks to the collaborative nature of this project, we've been able to support over 4000 students across those 18 weeks, both in Sydney and in Wollongong.

When you get to actually volunteer on a Saturday, it's so lovely. You get to chat with students and they're just so grateful. They just love to see the faces of UOW staff. They know that we care, and it's been really, really amazing.

Because it's such a big problem and such a needy cause, no one organisation has the resources to do this. So it really has taken the people power of staff, community and our students and community organisations to support our less fortunate students.

Sarah: The food initiative started as a weekly opportunity to just provide students with a grocery bag of food. It's now what's called the Food+ with Care project, and it's supported by UOW staff, UOW Pulse staff, community, students and our community partners.

So we're providing pantry items and fresh fruit and vegetables every week so that they can actually go top up their supplies that they might have or also feed themselves for a week.

Thanks to the collaborative nature of this project, we've been able to support over 4000 students across those 18 weeks, both in Sydney and in Wollongong.

When you get to actually volunteer on a Saturday, it's so lovely. You get to chat with students and they're just so grateful. They just love to see the faces of UOW staff. They know that we care, and it's been really, really amazing.

Because it's such a big problem and such a needy cause, no one organisation has the resources to do this. So it really has taken the people power of staff, community and our students and community organisations to support our less fortunate students.

COVID Safe Guidelines for volunteers and students

All volunteers and students are required to adhere to the NSW Health COVID Safe Guidelines. This includes ensuring that you do not attend when you are feeling unwell.

Please get tested and self-report if you have previously attended an event and subsequently fallen ill, even if you unsure if you are COVID positive. Find your nearest COVID-19 testing clinic.

Current public health advice in relation to location alerts for mandatory isolation can be accessed on the NSW Health website.

Please contact the UOW Student Programs Team through the email above if you have any questions or need to report a suspected COVID-19 case.