Student LunchBox

What Student LunchBox does

Student LunchBox is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2020 and headquartered in Los Angeles that addresses food insecurity among college students in Los Angeles County. Its operational model is built on resource recovery — sourcing surplus food and essential goods — rather than purchasing inventory, which the organization reports translates into $13 of goods delivered per $1 donated and 98.7% of expenditures directed to program services.

The organization runs three primary service lines: Mobile Markets that rotate across campuses on a weekly schedule, fixed Campus Food Pantries hosted at partner colleges, and an Essential Closet providing hygiene and household items. As of 2025, Student LunchBox serves more than 8,000 students monthly across 17 college campuses, with operations powered by 200+ student volunteers and formal partnerships with each participating college.

Student LunchBox generates revenue exclusively through charitable contributions. Donation channels include individual giving routed through platforms such as Zeffy, Every.org, Pledge.to, and Careasy, corporate sponsorship structured at tiers from $5,000 to $75,000, and emerging non-cash giving products including cryptocurrency, appreciated stock, and vehicle donations. The organization reports achieving the Candid Platinum 2025 transparency rating, and has secured named partnerships with GoldenTree Asset Management, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, Health-Ade Kombucha, and the LA Dodgers Foundation.

Name

Student LunchBox

Legal name

Student LunchBox, Inc.

Website

https://studentlunchbox.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Student LunchBox is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that combats college student food insecurity by running Mobile Markets, campus food pantries, and an Essential Closet across 17 colleges, serving 8,000+ students monthly through a resource-recovery donation model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.) (EDADALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

Keywords

• College hunger relief
• Food insecurity services
• Basic needs support
• Campus food assistance
• Food redistribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting college hunger relief. Accepted via Zeffy platform with zero platform fees. Monthly recurring giving programs available at $25-$500/month levels.
2. Cryptocurrency Donations: Accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and 80+ cryptocurrencies through Every.org and Pledge.to platforms. Provides tax-efficient giving option avoiding capital gains tax.
3. Stock Donations: Direct stock transfers through Every.org, allowing donors to eliminate capital gains tax while receiving full fair market value deduction.
4. Vehicle Donations: Car, boat, RV, and aircraft donations processed through Careasy partnership. One vehicle can provide 15,000+ meals.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate giving programs with partnership levels from $5,000 (Vitality Lead) to $75,000 (Founding Partner). Includes recognition, website placement, and social media branding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Student LunchBox is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recovers surplus and donated food from local businesses, food banks, and community organizations, and distributes it directly to economically disadvantaged college students across Los Angeles County. Its core service model comprises Mobile Market Distributions (weekly farmer's market-style on-campus distributions), Campus Food Pantry Replenishment at 17 partner colleges, and the Essential Closet program providing clothing and hygiene essentials. The organization is funded through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and alternative giving vehicles including stock, cryptocurrency, and vehicle donations processed via third-party platforms.

Product overview

Student LunchBox is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2020 to promote college excellence through comprehensive basic needs support for economically disadvantaged college students in Los Angeles County. The organization operates a multi-pronged service model comprising Mobile Market Distributions (weekly farmer's market-style on-campus distributions), Campus Food Pantry Replenishment, the Essential Closet (clothing and hygiene supplies), and an online donation platform (via Zeffy). These core services are supported by specialized giving programs including a Vehicle Donation Program (via Careasy), Stock Donation Program (via Every.org), and Cryptocurrency Donation Program (via Every.org and Pledge.to). A Monthly Giving Program enables recurring donations, while the Volunteer Program and Corporate Volunteer Days engage community members. The Student Leadership Program empowers student ambassadors and volunteers to power operations across 17 campuses. The organization leverages a resource recovery model, sourcing donated and surplus food from local businesses, food banks, and community organizations to maximize the impact of each dollar contributed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mobile Market Distributions Weekly farmer's market-style food distributions held directly on college campuses, providing fresh produce, pantry staples, groceries, and essential goods to students. Events serve hundreds of students per session across the organization's 17-campus network in Los Angeles County and are powered by 200+ student volunteers.
• Campus Food Pantry Replenishment SLB replenishes partner college on-campus food pantries and establishes satellite pantries, providing ongoing food supply to campus-based distribution points that students can access throughout the academic year at 17 partner campuses.
• Essential Closet Provides clothing, toiletries, hygiene products, and other essential goods to college students. The Essential Closet complements food distributions by addressing non-food basic needs that can otherwise distract students from their education.
• Online Donation Platform (Monthly and One-Time Giving) Web-based donation platform allowing individuals to make one-time or recurring monthly donations to Student LunchBox. Donations are processed through Zeffy with zero platform fees; 100% of the designated amount reaches SLB. Monthly giving tiers provide specific meal and essential goods equivalents for students.
• Vehicle Donation Program Accepts vehicle donations (cars, trucks, boats, RVs, aircraft) through the Careasy platform. Donors receive free pickup (typically within 24 hours in Los Angeles County), and vehicles are auctioned with net proceeds funding SLB's food distributions. IRS Form 1098-C is provided for tax deduction purposes.
• Stock Donation Program Allows donors to transfer appreciated securities (common stock, ETFs, mutual funds, RSUs) directly to Student LunchBox through Every.org, eliminating capital gains tax and providing a full fair market value deduction up to 30% of AGI. Transfer typically completes in 3-5 business days.
• Cryptocurrency Donation Program Accepts cryptocurrency donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and 80+ other tokens through Every.org and Pledge.to. Crypto donations are tax-deductible, bypass capital gains tax, and typically reach SLB within a few business days; $1 in crypto converts to approximately 6 nutritious student meals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98.7 cents of every dollar goes directly to program costs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Health-AdeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2024Partnership to fight college hunger, combining Health-Ade's kombucha and wellness products with Student LunchBox's distribution network to support food-insecure students on college campuses.
• CareasycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVehicle donation processing partner handling pickup scheduling, title transfer paperwork, auction, and tax documentation. Enables donors to contribute cars, boats, RVs, and aircraft with free towing, converting vehicles into meals for students.
• Every.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit technology platform processing non-cash charitable gifts including cryptocurrency and stock donations. Manages brokerage coordination, legal compliance, and IRS documentation for tax-efficient giving.
• Pledge.tominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlternative cryptocurrency donation platform supporting Student LunchBox. Offers different tokens and chains from Every.org, both fully IRS-compliant with instant tax receipts.
• LA Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood sourcing partnership for recovering food from local businesses, food banks, and community organizations to distribute to students.
• UCLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus partnership providing mobile market distributions and food pantry support for enrolled UCLA students experiencing food insecurity.
• CSU Long BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ASI Beach Pantry providing mobile market distributions and food assistance to enrolled students.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Single Stop USA: National nonprofit connecting low-income college students to benefits, including food assistance. Operates on college campuses with comparable student-basic-needs focus, but emphasizes benefits access navigation rather than direct food distribution.
• Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice: Research and policy organization focused on college student basic needs insecurity. Comparable target population and adjacent mission (food/housing insecurity among college students) but operates as a research/policy entity rather than direct service provider.

Direct peers

• Swipe Out Hunger: National nonprofit focused on college student hunger and food insecurity, operating a SNAP/meal swipe program across U.S. campuses. Directly comparable mission and target population, with broader geographic footprint than Student LunchBox.
• Food Recovery Network: National student-led nonprofit recovering surplus food from college campuses. Closely mirrors Student LunchBox's resource-recovery-from-college-campuses operating model with a national footprint.
• College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFBA): National network of campus-based food banks serving food-insecure college students. Directly comparable end-user population (college students) and operating model (campus food pantries and basic needs support).
• The Campus Kitchens Project: Student-led nonprofit that recovers surplus food from college dining operations and prepares meals for community distribution. Directly comparable student-volunteer-powered model and food recovery approach.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: Largest regional food bank in LA County and a named sourcing partner of Student LunchBox. Wider scope (general community hunger) but overlaps materially on student food insecurity and food sourcing relationships.
• Feeding America: Largest U.S. hunger-relief nonprofit network with hundreds of food banks. Operates broadly across community hunger but increasingly addresses college student food insecurity — a much larger competitor and potential partner network for Student LunchBox.
• Rise Against Hunger: International hunger relief organization with meal packaging, food distribution, and school feeding programs. Broader geographic and beneficiary scope but overlaps on school feeding and campus-based volunteer engagement models.

Regional players

• Food Finders: Southern California food rescue organization where Student LunchBox board member Kelly Alarcon works. Comparable resource-recovery and food-redistribution model in the same geography, though broader in target beneficiaries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SLBcommunityLA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ3WNzPXFYjJ6wHwxxKoVBQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SLBcommunity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slbcommunity
• Instagraminstagram.com/slbcommunity

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Student LunchBox