By Jala Forest / Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan Reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration

Nearly 40% of college students at four-year universities are affected by food insecurity, according to a survey conducted in 2020 by Temple University's Hope Center for College, Community and Justice.

The rates of college food insecurity have increased by 30% over the last decade, according to a study by the American Public Health Association.

Over that same period, the number of food pantries on college campuses has increased nearly eightfold. According to the College & University Food Bank Alliance, there are food pantries on over 700 college campuses across the United States, compared to just 88 in 2012.

But advocates say college students need more support.

"There is a system in place in this country for low-income kids," said Hope Lane-Gavin, a health equity fellow at the Cleveland-based Center for Community Solutions. "There's free and reduced lunch, for example, and there's other TANF benefits." TANF is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a cash assistance program that directs payments to families with children in order to provide care for the children in the household.

"There's all sorts of support for kids," Lane-Gavin added - "but college students aren't viewed as kids."

Low-income students, students of color and international students most affected by food insecurity

Almost 60% of Black students and 50% of Latinx students experience food insecurity compared to 30% of their non-hispanic white peers, according to a study conducted by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. This study also found that 46% of students who are Pell Grant recipients experience food insecurity.

"Unfortunately, the same students that have intersecting identities... [are] the same students that are unfortunately having challenges [in] likely the rest of their life," Lane-Gavin said.

Students suffering from food insecurity are more likely to fall behind in class, leading to their academic performance, health and well-being to decline.

"I feel more stress and anxiety because I know I really only do grocery shopping on weeks that I get paid," said Natalia Cruz, who is Panamanian-American and a senior theater production and political science major at Kent State University. "But when it's also a week where I have bills and stuff, sometimes I'll wait to do groceries again [until] the next paycheck just to make sure that I have enough money for all my bills."

International students are also at risk of experiencing food insecurity, said Josh Perkins, the Assistant Dean of Students of the CARES Center at Kent State University. The CARES Center provides resources to Kent State students to support their financial, housing, food, and mental well-being needs.

"We see a lot of international students come in because they're limited on the number of hours that they can work, especially if they're new students to the [United] States," Perkins said. "That leads to food insecurity for sure."

SNAP benefits temporarily extended to students

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio state government temporarily allowed college students access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if the financial aid application process determined that their families weren't expected to contribute to their education costs.

"If those two exemptions were permanent, that would capture not everybody - but a very, very, very large amount of low-income students that need to be captured, that should be eligible for the SNAP program," said Lane-Gavin.

SNAP is the largest federally funded anti-hunger program in the United States, according to the National Library of Medicine. But for college students to be eligible for SNAP benefits today, you have to meet requirements like being able to work 20 or more hours per week or being eligible to participate in work study on campus.

Cruz said the SNAP application process was challenging.

"Filling out the form [is] kind of stressful," said Cruz. "And then once you submit it, they take so long... I applied last month but I still haven't heard really anything from them."

Lane-Gavin thinks universities can do more to help students take advantage of resources like SNAP.

"That sect of universities that are in charge of student life, campus life and as well as financial aid folks need to be more well versed in how [the] SNAP program works," Lane-Gavin said.

In the meantime, campus food pantries can help students bridge gaps in between paychecks.

"We have two food pantries on the Kent campus," said Perkins of KSU's CARES Center. "I think a big piece is getting the information out there to students. We're pursuing all the avenues. We know how to get in front of students on how to get food."

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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A rally was held in Salem Thursday to urge passage of a bill to provide food assistance to Oregonians regardless of their immigration status.

Senate Bill 610, known as Food for All Oregonians, would ensure people who are undocumented and excluded from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program receive food aid in the state.

Morgan Dewey, spokesperson for the Oregon Food Bank, described the event.

"The Capitol was a beautiful backdrop for a series of speakers who shared their personal stories and organizations that are part of the 125+ organization-led coalition supporting Food for All Oregonians," Dewey recounted.

The bill would extend aid to lawful permanent residents, U.S. Compacts of Free Association citizens and other Oregonians who arrived as immigrants or refugees.

Dewey noted more than a million people are expected to access food assistance this year. To help counteract it, the measure would help get aid to about 62,000 Oregonians.

"With food on the table, families can thrive, kids can do better in school, access to education and health care and housing becomes a little less of a worry," Dewey outlined.

The biggest roadblock for the bill's passage is the Senate Republican walkout. Dewey added anti-hunger advocates are urging them to return to Salem.

"We're really calling on folks to come back and do their jobs so that pieces of legislation that will support a thriving Oregon, like SB 610 Food for All Oregonians, can pass and support our neighbors and our communities," Dewey concluded.


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Rural development leaders say getting healthy, locally grown food to underserved areas is a challenge in states like North Dakota.

They hope a new federal initiative that creates regional food business centers will help smaller communities and producers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced the launch of a dozen hubs that will provide technical assistance and capacity building to help farmers, ranchers and other food businesses access new markets.

Lori Capouch is the rural development director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives.

She said food access woes had been growing in smaller communities before supply-chain problems became very evident over the past few years.

"Having trouble getting food to grocery stores and schools and restaurants in the very smaller cities," said Capouch. "But the pandemic accelerated that and suddenly we had schools that couldn't get ground beef although we have a ton of producers in our state."

There are other regional partners assisting with the food center, including the North Dakota Farmers Union.

It says a primary focus will involve developing critical infrastructure for small and mid-sized livestock and fruit and vegetable processing, along with storage options.

South Dakota and Minnesota will be part of the regional hub serving north-central states.

Capouch said involving smaller farmers and ranchers within the region should be a "big win" economically speaking.

"Those dollars then stay in our state," said Capouch. "and they benefit the people that live here."

Capouch said the regional food business center will largely operate in virtual fashion, and that over the next several months, they will bring organizations together to hear from producers and stakeholders about what their goals and needs are.




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Whether it's the recent debt ceiling negotiations or the Farm Bill debate, a key federal food assistance program is again at the mercy of budget haggling. Minnesota hunger-fighting groups say some of the rhetoric is short-sighted.

House Republicans have pushed for expanding work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - formerly known as food stamps - arguing it would incentivize more recipients to work.

But Colleen Moriarty, executive director of the group Hunger Solutions, said she feels that would actually do the opposite. She said food insecurity would instantly become a huge barrier in job search efforts.

"It's like if you want someone to work and you cut off their access to public transportation to get to a job, then they can't get there," said Moriarty. "If they don't have any food, they're hungry, they can't concentrate on what it is they're doing."

A tentative debt-ceiling deal was reached over the weekend, and it does include some expanded work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, but there are also now exemptions for Veterans and those experiencing homelessness.

In combating longstanding misconceptions, Moriarty said it's important to remember these benefits are not a "cure-all" for low-income individuals, but a temporary source to help close hunger gaps when people are in their greatest moment of need.

Research has shown most SNAP recipients are part of the labor force, but often deal with interruptions, such as health issues, in maintaining stable employment.

Moriarty said limiting any aspect of SNAP benefits comes at the worst time for those struggling to get by.

Her group recently noted food shelves in Minnesota saw nearly two million more visits last year. And most pandemic aid has ended, which especially impacts older residents.

"Just recently, when we lifted the emergency status and SNAP went back to the previous levels, what we've seen is just a dramatic effect on seniors," said Moriarty. "Their benefits have rolled back now to $23 a month. You know, they're scared."

This past session, the Minnesota Legislature approved $5 million in emergency food shelf aid. But Moriarty warned that if some locations still can't meet demand and SNAP benefits are limited, those in need might not have anywhere to turn to.

Meanwhile, Congress is expected to vote this week on the updated SNAP provisions.