Basic Needs Resource Center (BNRC)

Two people stand inside RCC’s Basic Needs Resource Center pantry, smiling as one hands the other a canned food item. Shelves behind them are stocked with cereal, peanut butter, canned goods, and other grocery essentials for students.

Basic Needs Resource Center

The Basic Needs Resource Center (BNRC) is a place where students can connect with essential resources that help students prioritize college. When your basic needs are met, you can focus on school, and we’re here to support you with that. Through a quick intake form, we can connect you with local food pantries, housing help, hygiene items, and programs like CalFresh and Medi-Cal. Our team checks in each semester so you’re not navigating challenges alone.

Pantry Soft

The BNRC is now using Pantry Soft to streamline food pantry operations and manage student needs. All students wishing to utilize Basic Needs Food Pantry and/or connect with resources must register for a Pantry Soft Account.

Instructions to Access Pantry Soft

  1. Know your student email and password.
  2. Log into the RCCD Single Sign-On Portal. This takes you to a page with a variety of connected apps. 
  3. Choose the "Apps" tab near the top and find the PantrySoft icon in the list of options.
  4. Create an account and/or log in using your student email.

Need Support?

Register for a Pantry Soft Account or complete our Student Needs Intake Form. Your responses help us connect you with the right resources and manage your level of access to the Basic Needs Food Pantry.

Note: Students will be required to submit an updated intake form each semester they’d like to utilize Basic Needs.

COMPLETE INTAKE FORM

"Basic Needs Resource Center is a godsend. They helped my family and me when all the money I had went to moving costs. They offered me diapers, wipes, and hygiene products for my baby and us. The food is excellent... one of the best things on campus."

Tabatha Flickinger

RCC Student | Special thanks to: Dez, Amiyah, and Marianne

Contact Us

Center & Pantry

Kane Building #104
Monday & Friday: 8 am – 5 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 8 am – 4 pm
Call: (951) 328-3777
Email: basicneeds@rcc.edu
*May close temporarily on Wednesdays during delivery times. 

After-Hours

Digital Library, Rm 231
Dates: TBD
5:30 - 6 pm
Snacks, Grocery Bags, & Hygiene Kits Available
*While supplies last

DPSS Outreach VAN

In front of the Digital Library
Dates: 8/24, 9/30, 10/26, and 11/9
Time: 10 am - 2 pm
CalFresh & Medi-Cal Help

IEHP

Across from the MLK Building
Dates: 9/3,9/14,10/1,10/21,11/5,11/16,12/1,12/14
Time: 10 am - 2 pm
Health Insurance and CalFresh Assistance

Services Offered

The Basic Needs Resource Center provides grocery-style food support to students experiencing food insecurity. Students will be given 50 Tiger Credits each month to spend in the pantry. A student may shop in the pantry as often as they need—as long as they have credits available to spend. If a student indicates a higher level of need through the Student Needs Intake Form, student will be assigned additional credits.

Eligibility & Guidelines

  • Must be actively enrolled in the current semester
  • Physical copy of Student ID required at each visit
  • Students are encouraged to bring reusable bags to support sustainability, otherwise they can purchase a bag with their Tiger Credits.

Our center offers essential hygiene items, including feminine products, dental hygiene supplies, deodorant, and more. These items can be accessed as needed.

Laundry & Shower Services

Free laundry and shower services are available by appointment. To request an appointment, please email BasicNeeds@rcc.edu. Laundry and shower supplies are provided with a confirmed appointment.

The Basic Needs Resource Center facilitates housing support programs designed to address homelessness and housing insecurity among Riverside City College students.

Types of Housing Support

  • Long-Term Housing Support: Rental assistance for up to one academic year, including wraparound case management and personal development support to assist students in exiting homelessness. Students contribute rent on a progressive scale and transition to full rental responsibility upon exiting the program.
  • One-Time Emergency Housing Support: Short-term financial assistance to support housing stability, including help with security deposits, move-in costs, or late rental payments to prevent eviction.
  • Community & Emergency Resources: Access to a comprehensive list of community-based and emergency housing resources that students may explore independently.

Disclaimer: Our housing program has limited capacity. Applying for support does not guarantee housing or immediate placement.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best way to receive support is by completing our Student Needs Intake Form. You must register for a Pantry Soft account to access this form. This intake form allows you to privately share your needs with our team. After submitting the form, you will receive our resource booklet and may be contacted directly if additional support is available, including extended grocery support or our Housing Support Application.
You may also access grocery and personal hygiene resources in person by visiting the Basic Needs Center during open hours:
  • Monday & Friday: 8 am – 5 pm
  • Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday: 8 am – 6 pm

Our food pantry operates during the same hours as the Basic Needs Center. If students have created a Pantry Soft account and submitted a Student Needs Intake Form, they are welcome to shop for groceries and personal hygiene items during their visit.

After completing the Student Needs Intake Form, students will receive a monthly allocation of 50 Tiger Credits to “spend” on food and personal hygiene items in the Pantry. The Basic Needs & Wellness Team will distribute additional credits to students with higher levels of need, as indicated on the Student Needs Intake Form.

Tiger Credits are renewed on the first of each month. Unused credits do not roll over into the next month. Points will be reevaluated every semester, based on a student’s updated student needs intake form.

Students may check in with a Basic Needs & Wellness Ambassador at the Front Desk to determine how many points they have available to spend in the Food Pantry that day. Each food and personal hygiene item will be assigned a credit value. Students can shop for the grocery items they need, and then check out their items. After checking out their items, a Basic Needs & Wellness Ambassador will provide the student with a receipt of how many credits they have remaining.

To shop in the pantry, students must:

  • Be actively enrolled in the current term
  • Bring a physical copy of their student ID each visit
  • Check in at the front desk before shopping
  • Students are encouraged to bring reusable bags to support sustainability, otherwise they can use their Tiger Credits to acquire a bag.
If you are currently experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, please complete the Student Needs Intake Form as soon as possible. You may also contact us directly at BasicNeeds@rcc.edu
 
Either option will allow us to connect you with the Basic Needs Housing Support Application (the first step in our process) and community resources that may be able to provide immediate assistance. Please note that for all Basic Needs Housing Programs, students must have successfully completed at least one prior term and remain continuously enrolled to be eligible for housing support.
 
Housing Support Process:
  1. Complete the Housing Support Application
  2. Our team verifies enrollment and financial aid eligibility
  3. Student is placed on the active waitlist
  4. An intake interview is scheduled to determine the best support path
  5. Student is referred for available housing support
Please note: Basic Needs Housing Programs do not include the RCCD-UCR Residential Scholars Program. That program's information and interest form can be accessed here.

To request a laundry or shower appointment, please email BasicNeeds@rcc.edu

Laundry appointments:

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • Appointments are limited and subject to availability
  • Laundry services are provided in partnership with Athletics

Shower appointments:

  • Available as needed, based on availability

Students who book laundry or shower appointments may receive detergent and shower essentials, including shampoo, body wash, and towels, from Basic Needs.

Yes. In addition to our core Basic Needs services, we work to connect students with both on-campus and community resources that support essential needs such as food, housing, health care, mental health, and transportation.
We partner with the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) to bring CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, and General Assistance support directly to campus through the DPSS Outreach Van. Our team also works closely with Health Services and Mental Health Services and can help provide information and referrals to these support services as needed.
For transportation support, eligible students can access the RTA Go Pass, which provides free bus transportation throughout each academic term.
If you’re unsure what support may be available to you, completing our Student Needs Intake Form is the best way for our team to help identify resources and connect you with appropriate services.