Why Food Insecurity Must Be Addressed in Colleges

 

Food insecurity among college students is a major issue that often goes overlooked. When discussing the matter of food insecurity in schools, college campuses don’t often come to mind. Instead, people think mostly about elementary through high school level students. However, it affects 20 to 50 percent of college students in the United States, according to Drexel University’s Center for Hunger-Free Communities. Still, despite the substantial number of students who cannot afford regular meals, the issue remains ignored.

Food insecurity, in definition, is a lack of consistent access to sufficient food resources. This means that a person does not know where their next meal will come from, or if they’ll even be able to eat that day. A significant number of college students do not have the means necessary to adequately provide themselves with meals every day. This is a serious problem that must be addressed immediately.

A few of the major factors that play a part in this issue are the high costs of tuition, housing, student loan debt, and food options. Because of the expenses students face when attending college, they are often forced to choose making payments over affording food.

Although this issue touches students of all kinds, it is more common among low-income students, first generation students, racial or ethnic minorities, and those who are employed, financially independent, or receiving financial aid.

Further, hunger affects so many things in people’s lives. People simply cannot function when they aren’t properly nourished. It becomes difficult to focus or simply stay awake. With hunger also comes discomfort, fatigue, and irritability. In fact, among college students, food insecurity is directly associated with lower graduation rates and lower chances of obtaining a degree. It is detrimental to students’ well-being.

Clearly, the problem needs to be addressed. Students who face food insecurity are just as entitled to quality education as anybody else, but it becomes impossible to focus on studies when you have to worry about where your next meal is going to come from.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many options for students facing this struggle. Of course, students can obtain loans to help cover their college costs as a whole, but those become a major weight to carry as well. Further, if a student does not obtain those loans and is unable to afford meal plan costs, it becomes difficult to secure food for themselves.

Without a meal plan, students must buy groceries and cook their own meals three times a day, which is difficult to balance with classes, homework, and a job. Not to mention the high costs of groceries which are difficult for the average working college student to afford on top of rent, possible loan payments, etc.

Of course, this problem will not be easy to solve. Students who are facing food insecurity are often too embarrassed or ashamed to admit it. However, it is an issue that colleges need to acknowledge. A discussion must be started before a major change can be made.

Once food insecurity is inserted into the discussion, possible solutions can be brought to light. There are numerous programs available for struggling students that go unused because they aren’t talked about.

It is frustrating that most students fighting food insecurity don’t know about their options. It is even more frustrating to know that not every college campus offers help in this area.

A few examples of strategies that should be offered on campus to fight food insecurity are food pantries or swipe drives and meal donations, which allow students to donate meals from their own meal plans to help others in need.

There are numerous effective off-campus programs that should be included in the discussion as well.

SNAP, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal program that provides low-income students or families with assistance purchasing food. Food recovery programs collect surplus food that would otherwise be wasted, and instead give it to people in need. Other than these programs, there are community assistance programs and community kitchens that could be useful to students as well.

Therefore, even if colleges are unable to offer programs or financial aid to combat student hunger, they should be expected to raise awareness of possible options for struggling students.