How to Handle Food Insecurity as a College Student

Food insecurity is “a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life,” according to Feeding America, a national nonprofit fighting hunger.

College students have long struggled with food insecurity. The causes of food insecurity are complex and can be interrelated. They often cannot be easily ascribed to a single issue.

According to Feeding America, some of the most common causes for food insecurity include:

There are two types of food insecurity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Low food security is when a person has little to no decrease in food intake but does experience less healthy variety. Very low food security includes prolonged and disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.

Food insecurity can take a heavy toll on college students.

Students dealing with food insecurity have difficulty studying and concentrating due to hunger. Many may also have no time to study because they have to search for food. And due to their situation, some may feel shame when trying to fit in with peers.

These conditions can hinder these students’ ability to succeed as they pursue a college degree.

The pandemic has also worsened food insecurity among students. When campuses shut down, many students who relied on resources, such as campus food pantries, had to find other options with little notice.

Here are some ways to assist students with food insecurity at your school or in your community.

Food pantries are often looking for volunteers.

Your role might include setting/cleaning up, distribution, outreach, and more.

As a college student, you’ll likely have flexibility — like the ability to volunteer only on the weekends. Plus, volunteering could be useful to put on a resume, depending on your role.

Student government influences how thousands of dollars are spent at your university. You can advocate for more funding for your school’s food bank — or for starting a food bank if your school doesn’t have one.

You can do this by attending a student government meeting since they’re open to the public and usually allow comments from students. You can also try meeting with your student representatives one on one to discuss how much they can allocate toward food for students.

Using GoFundMe or other crowdsourcing platforms, you can easily start a fundraiser to support people experiencing food insecurity at your school.

You can also work with your college’s student government or clubs to promote your fundraiser and ensure it’s successful.

The money you raise can go to campus food pantries, community food pantries, or students with food insecurity directly.

Food drives collect food and donate the items to students or other organizations. That food is usually donated to food banks for use at food pantries.

While those food drives could be helpful, virtual food drives might be more beneficial for food banks. A virtual food drive is a fundraiser that may not involve any physical food at all.

According to Feeding America, virtual food drives can result in more meals and less food waste.

Spreading awareness about food insecurity on college campuses can spur others to take action.

You can do this by writing an op-ed in your student newspaper or posting information on social media. You can also create flyers or pamphlets to leave in classrooms with information and resources for students to learn more.