The Food Insecure Population You Didn’t Expect: College Students

Last year, 17 million American households were considered food insecure, up from 13.5 million in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Within that community is a subset that is often overlooked: college students.

“This should be an issue that concerns everybody,” said Christopher Staysniak, a lecturer in the Holy Cross history department, whose scholarship includes American food and food systems.

“The presumption that all our students can afford and have access to food, and that we’re all equal, is not accurate,” said Daina Harvey, professor and chair of sociology and anthropology.

Food Insecurity Increasing

According to a recent study, roughly 23% of undergraduates and 12% of graduate students, or more than 4 million students, nationwide were experiencing food insecurity as of March 2020. Private four-year institutions represented nearly 19% of the total. In Massachusetts, the number has since increased to nearly 33% of students at some public colleges and universities.

“It’s very easy to make it seem like this is a problem for a specific group of people and it’s not,” said Angel Collazo ’26, a food justice advocate. “This can be anyone on campus and the responsibility to help make the change falls on those who have the power to do so and that is usually the institution.”

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, one Holy Cross student tried to start a food pantry at the College, but found that many who might have had a need would not have used the service because of the stigmatization of being food insecure, Harvey said. An informal survey by summer research students post-pandemic found that students might not identify as food insecure, but they were worried about access to food on campus and at home, he added.

“There is no need to have students who are food insecure,” Harvey said. “It is an easy problem to solve with the amount of food waste on college campuses, in general. We do a better job here, but there is so much food waste that takes place on college campuses.”

With support of a Scholarship in Action grant from the College, Staysniak and Harvey reached out to faculty from Worcester-area colleges and universities to talk about food-justice research and how to coordinate partnerships with community organizations so as to  not overwhelm local nonprofits. The work recently resulted in an informational panel that included faculty from Worcester State University’s Urban Action Institute, which is in the process of opening a campus community food market for students where federal food assistance is accepted and nutritious food will be sold at a reduced cost.

Complex Issue

“It’s a complex issue and there is not just one action that can solve it,” Staysniak said, adding that food pantries, food banks and community kitchens and gardens are overtaxed and understaffed.

However, small steps by individuals do help, he noted: “Give to food pantries and do the food drives because as imperfect as it is the need is there, is still high and is growing. Volunteer your time, find out how you can work with the organizations in an intentional way. Gain a greater understanding of the community you’re in.”

Those who want to help reduce food insecurity can also advocate for the passage of the federal Farm Bill, Staysniak said, noting that nearly 80% of funding in the bill is allocated for food assistance and nutrition programs.

“It may seem remote, but this funding and these programs are directly tied to your local food pantry and it’s something that deserves protection and support,” he said.

Taking Action

In September, the Massachusetts Hunger Free Campus Coalition, of which Staysniak is a member, testified before the state Joint Committee on Higher Education on behalf of two bills that would create a grant program to enable community colleges, public universities and institutions that serve communities of color to address hunger on campus by providing grants to qualifying institutions.

Holy Cross student Collazo, a double major in psychology and Spanish, is working to bring more attention to the problem by finding a way to highlight the need. Through a community-based learning Filmmaking in Spanish course, he and classmates partnered with Worcester Polytechnic Institute peers to produce a video to raise awareness of the WPI food pantry and encourage donations from the community.

“We can be involved as a community partner, but we need to understand that the same people are here at Holy Cross,” he said. “We have students who have and who are going through this and it’s very important that we’re not othered. We are part of the community we’re serving.”