Affordable Food Resources

Options for support at Cornell and in Ithaca 

If you’re experiencing difficulty obtaining sufficient food in an affordable and convenient way, please consider the following resources for support.

Cornell resources

  • Cornell’s Food Pantry offers free, confidential access to food and personal care items for Cornell students and employees. The pantry is located at 109 McGraw Place, across from Alice Cook House on West Campus. 
  • The Cornell Free Food Fridge, located in Anabel Taylor Hall room 120, accepts and makes available donated left-over food from Cornell events and meetings. Email CornellFreeFoodFridge@gmail.com for more information. 
  • Anabel’s Grocery is a student-run grocery story offering discounted groceries for Cornell community members. Anabel’s is located in Anabel Taylor Hall on Central campus, and operates during the academic year. SNAP cards are accepted (see info about SNAP below). 
  • Swipe Out Hunger distributes donated Cornell Dining meal swipes to students for use in Cornell’s dining halls. 
  • Cornell Health’s nutritionists can help students develop an individualized plan to access affordable food resources. To schedule an appointment, call 607-255-5155 or log in to myCornellHealth.

Ithaca resources

  • Cayuga Health Community Cupboard makes free, local, farm-fresh food available at different locations, including Monday-Friday at the Cayuga Health entrance at the Ithaca Mall. Email diversity@cayugamed.org for more information. 
  • The Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County maintains a list of food pantries and agencies providing free community meals.
  • Mutual Aid Tompkins provides a map of food-sharing cabinets located around the Ithaca area.
  • Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program provides food vouchers for qualifying pregnant women, new
    mothers, and children under 5 years old.

Tips for accessing affordable food

  • Find out if you’re eligible for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), a federal program that provides
    benefits to purchase food at participating stores. Anabel’s Grocery provides additional SNAP information. 
  • Try different stores in the Ithaca area to find the best food prices, and consider signing up for rewards, discounts, and free membership programs.
  • Buy generic or store brands. Most grocery stores offer generic or store brands that are less expensive than name-brand products.
  • Shop sales and use coupons for additional savings. Some stores will double certain manufacture coupons to give you a greater discount. 

Need additional support? 

We encourage you to reach out to one of the following resources: