Community colleges are joining other organizations in intensifying their efforts to combat student hunger as uncertainty persists over funding for the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Two federal judges last week directed the Trump administration to use available emergency funds to keep SNAP benefits going. While the White House said on Monday it would provide reduced SNAP benefits — adding that recalculating the benefits will take some time — President Donald Trump on Tuesday muddied the waters by suggesting that the federal government will not pay any SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.
It’s under this political landscape that colleges are trying to keep students fed and on track academically. Now facing the longest government closure in U.S. history, many community colleges are stepping up efforts to stock food pantries through funding campaigns and partnerships with other organizations and local and state government agencies.
In North Carolina, Wake Technical Community College has increased its efforts through its CARE Center, which provides wraparound services to students, including food pantries. Nearly 1,000 students with food insecurity turn to the college for assistance each year.
This week, the center is handing out meal kit bags with nonperishable items and a voucher for a free turkey. Wake Tech has already seen a spike in the number of students requesting the Thanksgiving meals through its initiative with Food Lion. Last year, the college served 262 students who requested the meal kits. This year, Wake Tech has received 761 applications so far.
Broad foundation support
In Massachusetts, The Boston Foundation said last week it is partnering with the city and other organizations that serve SNAP recipients to support families in need, noting that donors have stepped up to provide $1.7 million to seed the partnership. Among the city’s SNAP beneficiaries are 350 Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) students who will “now have a bridge over this crisis,” BHCC President Pam Eddinger posted on social media.
“I am relieved that they won’t have to defer their studies and their dreams to survive,” she wrote, thanking the foundation. “Community college transforms lives via training and good future jobs. But the learner’s safety net is so very fragile. Choosing between food for the family and education is an impossible choice.”
Extra plates via Everytable
In Los Angeles, Compton College is working with its partner Everytable — which provides nutritious, made-from-scratch meals — to beef up efforts to reduce student hunger during the federal shutdown. Currently through the partnership, Compton College students receive one free meal per day, for a total of five meals per week. Beginning on November 5, students in California’s SNAP program, called CalFresh, will receive two meals per day, totaling 10 meals per week during the government shutdown.
“We will not allow our students to go hungry because of government gridlock. This initiative is part of a larger strategy to ensure consistent, reliable access to healthy meals for all students,” Compton College President Keith Curry said in a release. “It’s made possible through our longstanding partnership with Everytable, which helps us provide stability, dignity, and nourishment, especially in times of uncertainty.”
Meanwhile, the Foundation for California Community Colleges has created a fundraising campaign to help college SNAP recipients, noting that more than 275,000 California community college students and their families depend on the benefits.
“These students may receive no food assistance benefits in November, and this problem could worsen if the shutdown persists,” the foundation says on its emergency donation site.
The community at large
Meanwhile, Dallas College is extending its assistance to the general public. It announced this week that it’s working with its partner, North Texas Food Bank, to add an additional Community Pantry Day at two locations this Saturday. The events are open to the public and no ID is required. The college’s campus-based food pantries are a key service provided to its students. On Community Pantry Days, Dallas College extends its support to surrounding communities.
