In Their Own Words: Keely O'Donnell-Boyd

UC Irvine alum Keely O'Donnell-Boyd started working at the FRESH Basic Needs Hub as a student volunteer, while also competing on the Anteater cross country/track & field team (2016-19). After graduating in 2020, she now works full-time as the Food Access Coordinator at FRESH. Keely recently took some time to share about her experience as a student-athlete and some of the services and resources the FRESH Basic Needs Hub has to offer.

By: Keely O'Donnell-Boyd

Basic Needs - An ecosystem that supports financial stability by ensuring equitable access to nutritious and sufficient food; safe, secure, and adequate housing (to sleep, study, cook and shower); healthcare to promote sustained mental and physical well-being; affordable transportation; resources for personal hygiene care and emergency needs for students with dependents.

Many people are shocked to learn that around 40% of college students at UC Irvine will experience some form of basic needs insecurity at some point in their academic career (UC Undergraduate Experience Survey, 2020). Among these numbers, student-athletes are not exempt. In April of 2020, the Hope Center released a study that claimed that 24% of student-athletes had experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days and that nearly 14% of student-athletes experienced homelessness in the previous year (Goldrick-Rab, Richardson, Baker-Smith, April 2020).

High cost of living in Orange Country and underdeveloped life skills when transitioning to college (i.e., difficulty budgeting or cooking) are some of the contributing factors that lead to basic needs insecurity at UC Irvine. When students get accepted into college, especially as a student-athlete, there's a common misconception that once they’ve been granted a scholarship they’re financially secured, but in reality many forget about additional costs such as rent and food. Attempting to juggle a job (maybe even two), 20+ hours of training/competitions, managing academics and trying to be at peak performance while meeting your basic needs become additional obstacles. While at UC Irvine, I saw this first hand with many of my friends and teammates experiencing some sort of financial hardship while also competing at the Division I level. Balancing multiple responsibilities as a student-athlete can take a toll on mental and physical health, however, if you’re experiencing difficulty to meet your basic needs - support is here for you!

Here, at UC Irvine, you can find lots of support on campus especially at The FRESH Basic Needs Hub. At FRESH, we offer a wide variety of different resources and services. The needs of our students vary, with some only needing support with gaining fundamental skills like budgeting or cooking. Interested students can sign up for any of our Life Skills Workshops depending on their interests or needs. One of the most highlighted services is our application assistance for CalFresh, as it’s estimated that around 12,000 students are eligible at UCI to get free money for groceries. If you’re eligible, you can receive up to $250 per month loaded on a card that you can use at stores such as Trader Joes, Albertsons and even some of our local farmers markets!

Suppose you don’t fall within the qualifications to sign up for CalFresh benefits. In that case, you can always visit our UCI Food Pantry to access fresh produce, perishables, non-perishable and toiletry items. All you’ll need is your student ID, your green Zot Pass, and a completed membership form (appointments are highly encouraged). Please note, this is not a cost-saving strategy and is meant to be utilized as an emergency resource. If you’re in need of assistance in the form of prepared meals, you can also apply for Emergency Meal Swipes, which allows students experiencing food insecurity access to prepared meals at the UCI Dining Commons. This is intended for students who are experiencing food insecurity and also are having difficulty accessing a kitchen where they can prepare meals throughout the day. Additionally, FRESH offers confidential appointments with our clinical social worker, who provides guidance and support for students experiencing a financial hardship and are having difficulty navigating it; social worker appointments are self-referred, so you’re able to book these appointments yourself. The aforementioned services are just a few of our signature resources; FRESH is always adapting to making its resources match the needs of students. You can find more information about our services and resources via our website: basicneeds.uci.edu. To keep the most up to date, you can sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media @ucifresh. Please note, our services are available for all actively enrolled students at UC Irvine, including undergraduate and graduate students.

Wondering how to support our students? First, to our coaches, your athletes trust you - when they confide in you that they are experiencing a basic need challenge, help direct them to resources. If you’re an athlete and you’ve utilized our services, let your teammates and friends know about it in case they ever need it. If you want to volunteer, we’re always looking for additional support. If you want to donate to us, learn how you can monetarily support us or donate food to us directly!