Identifying Causes and Providing Solutions
The nation’s economy is a situation comedy
Corporations are making money while
The people are facing povertyTalib Kweli
When I first started at the City of Sacramento as the Chief Innovation Officer, I began formulating the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab (SUTL) and the verticals within it. The verticals were based on Sacramento’s strengths and where I thought the city needed to go aspirationally in order to compete globally.
One of the original verticals was Food and Agriculture Tech. One of my colleagues, bought into the framework hook, line, and sinker and began talking to me about changing Food and Agriculture Tech to Food Systems as a vertical. He sat me down with an executive summary to convince me in which he explained all the aspects of a food system. He demonstrated to me it included everything from Food/Ag Tech to Food Safety to Food Packaging to Food Insecurity. The last one I was not familiar with.
In case you too are unfamiliar, allow me to explain what I learned. Food insecurity is a major problem faced daily by university and college students. In 2018, a study by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab revealed nearly 36 percent of college students experience hunger daily. Along with the financial crunch from shrinking financial aid and expanding tuition fees, hunger and food insecurity has complicated the growing woes of college students and their parents.
In 2019, I came face to face with the stark reality that is food insecurity while visiting Sacramento State University. I was there with the faculty to introduce Congressman Ami Bera to the Local Motor Olli autonomous shuttle and share a ride with him. Unbeknownst to me, part of the tour was a visit to one of the school’s three food pantries.
Food Insecurity Defined
Food insecurity, according to Feeding America, is defined as “a federal measure of a household’s ability to provide enough food for every person in the household to have an active, healthy life.” In other words, food insecurity results when a person is without access to the needed quantity of affordable and nutritious food. The American Educational Research Association reported in a 2017 study that more than 30,000 college students are food insecure, and 14 percent of those students are also homeless. The Journal of Nutrition and Behavior adds that students with food insecurity are often a minority background.
Food Insecurity and Its Effect on Education
Although many people believe they will never face food insecurity in their lives, the fact is a large percentage of the workforce lives paycheck to paycheck and nearly all of them have the potential to be exposed to food insecurity. Knowing that, a college or university student may have to sacrifice his or her allotment for food in order to pay for college expenses. College students shouldn’t have to face the choice between higher education and eating because help is available.
Food Insecurity Among University Students
Given the widespread increase in tuition rates and mounting student debt, the problem of food insecurity is growing. Nearly 45 percent of students (studying in 100 institutions) were surveyed as part of the survey by “Hope Center for College, Community and Justice” of Temple University admitted to being food insecure at least once per month.
The prevalence of food insecurity among university and college students was 25.2 percent in 2017. Nearly 17.7 percent of students admitted low food security with 7.5 percent reporting extremely low food security. In addition, 3.9 percent revealed reducing their meal size or skipping their meals altogether due to lack of funds. Even among non-traditional college students (older students with families) food insecurity is an issue, with many students unable to make ends meet for their families and turning to cheap, less-than-nutritious alternatives or skipping meals entirely.
Food insecurity, not only result in hunger and lack of nutrition, but also has a dire effect on academics – grades fall, test score decrease, classes are dropped, and getting to graduation takes longer if it happens at all. The growing evidence behind these findings support the fact that food insecurity is a major concern on college and university campuses. But the good news is help is available for those suffering from hunger and food insecurity.
Finding the Solution to Food Insecurity on University Campuses
Help is available for those suffering from food insecurity, both on and off campus. Here are some available services and ideas to benefit college students and their families meet hunger and nutritional needs to ensure a brighter future.
- Find a local food pantry. Churches and other organizations, as well as college campuses, often have food pantries available and help families and students get the food they need on a weekly basis.
- Find local assistance organizations who offer food banks, meal programs, housing, and other assistance to those in need.
- Attend a church where potlucks invite everyone to join in a meal, plus many offer the leftovers to college students in attendance.
And colleges and universities can consider these possible options for helping students who face food insecurity:
- Meal programs are often high priced and for those who can afford them, the allotted points often go unused. Some colleges allow students to donate their unused allotment to other students who are food insecure.
- Colleges and universities can get on board, offering events featuring free food, as well as less expensive bagged meal choices.
- Teach students about SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and how to apply for this federal food plan.
- Raise the maximum limit on Pell grants could help students cover actual expenditures of college studies including food.
- Expand federal programs for school lunches to college and university students.
- Revise rules for students seeking government food aid and increase grants for coverage of unlimited meals.
The problem should not be overwhelming, knowing every small step can help solve the problem that is food insecurity. Eliminating the stigma is step one, and from there we can all help raise a future generation of healthy, educated adults.
