Tag: campus hunger

Percentages of food insecurity among University of Arizona students have doubled since the beginning of the pandemic, according to UA research conducted in fall 2020.

Traditional school stores might offer snacks and knickknacks, school gear and notebooks — but the one at Linda Tutt High School in Sanger, Texas, has a very different inventory and clientele.

Now that in-person instruction has resumed at Syracuse University, Syeisha Byrd expects the number of students who access on-campus food pantries to increase.

The South Campus food pantry served 158 students in April, a spike that decreased to 35 students monthly for the rest of the summer. But now that students have returned to campus, more people will need to access the pantry, said Byrd, director of the office of engagement programs at Hendricks Chapel.

The University of Maryland’s community garden was a teaching tool that has now become a necessity for people in need amid the coronavirus pandemic. The fresh vegetables and herbs grown there are distributed at the school’s free food pantry.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette recently opened a food pantry to help fight food insecurity among students.

Campus Cupboard is a free resource for students and staff who require short-term help to meet their food needs. The pantry began operating in November, but celebrated its grand opening Thursday at 413 Brook Ave., inside the Intensive English Language building.

A recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that in the face of a growing campus hunger problem, many colleges are taking matters into their own hands by starting campus programs like food banks and meal-sharing services.

A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office said as many as 2 million at-risk college students who were not receiving federal nutrition benefits, such as through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, might be eligible for them. Many of the students at risk for food insecurity were likely from low-income families and either first-generation college students and/or single parents, the report stated.

Over 3,000 UC Santa Barbara students visited the Associated Students Food Bank in the 2017-2018 school year, making up approximately 13 percent of the student body, according to the A.S. Food Bank’s annual report.

More college students in Queens worry about where their next meal is coming from than they did 10 or 15 years ago, according to a study from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute.