The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How to find free food on and off campus
Many Georgia students lack basic info when facing food insecurity.
Giselle Romero-Castro, a University of Georgia freshman from Lawrenceville, thinks the stereotype of the “broke college student” has become too much of a reality.
“It’s normalized to always be hungry, but it’s not healthy in the long run,” she said. “At times, I would be like, ‘It’s fine. This is just the college experience, but then I’m like — ‘I’m really hungry.’”
The already high number of college students who experience these issues grew as a result of the pandemic, according to a 2021 study conducted by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers on the changes in food security among college students. Food insecurity increased by approximately one-third from the beginning of the spring 2020 semester to the end, when COVID-19 forced many colleges to go remote, according to the study, which was published in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine.
The lack of information many students face when dealing with student hunger is being addressed on numerous campuses throughout the state, but these resources can be difficult to find. Here are some steps on how to start looking for help:
Know when to ask for help
The stigma around food insecurity often contributes to a lack of knowledge about what this actually means, and exactly how to know if one fits that categorization. A prominent barrier in students’ willingness to ask for help is the unknown if they are qualified for such aid.
Students are classified as food insecure if and when they report having a “diminished variety, quality and desirability of a diet as well as decreased access to food,” according to a study by Iowa State University researchers published in June 2021 in the journal Nutrients.
This broad description proves that food insecurity is not only focused on the extreme cases, but also the moderate students who struggle to find diversity in the food options they have due to a range of financial struggles.
In another study published in Nutrients, University of Florida scholars found that there were four main factors that deterred food insecure students from seeking help: “social stigma, insufficient information on pantry use policies, self-identity, and inconvenient hours.” In this, self-identity refers to one’s acknowledgment of themselves as food insecure.
Seek out scholarships
Some universities offer scholarships dedicated to providing students with food.
The University of Georgia offers the Let All the Big Dawgs Eat Food Scholarship each semester, which provides recipients with free all-access meal plans, worth roughly $2,000. Romero-Castro said receiving the scholarship in the spring 2023 semester altered her life.
“My whole day revolved around how, when I was going to eat or what time I was going to eat, what I was going to eat that day, but now because I go to the dining hall, I do whatever I need to do,” she said.
She missed the deadline to apply for the scholarship during her first semester, so she recommends that students start looking for these opportunities early.
“If you know you’re not going to be able to afford (meal plans), then definitely start looking at the scholarships,” she said.
Kennesaw State University offers an emergency assistance program through its CARE Services, which works to provide students with food, housing and other supportive services. Lauren Fournier, assistant director for CARE services, said any student experiencing an unexpected hardship that’s impeding their academic progress can apply.
Students have received over $79,000 in grants, scholarships and direct assistance, as of March, Fournier said. In 2022, she said KSU provided over $150,000. The school also provides temporary emergency apartments for students experiencing homelessness.
Locate food pantries
It can be difficult to find food pantries if they aren’t well-advertised or talked about, but they are a helpful resource. Some campuses have university-sponsored food pantries
as well as community or student-run pantries.
Domini’que Allen graduated from the University of North Georgia in January. While she was a student there, she spent several semesters working in UNG’s Gainesville campus food pantry, eventually leading it as an assistant director.
Allen’s grandfather struggled with food insecurity when he attended college. When she started working in the pantry, she realized food insecurity had become a much bigger problem. With the cost of living on the rise, she said it isn’t a surprise that students find it difficult to afford food and necessities.
“There’s people outside of school that aren’t able to afford it, so we can only imagine how people entering academia would further exacerbate that,” Allen said.
One of the biggest challenges she’s seen is spreading the word that the pantry existed. She petitioned professors to let her speak to incoming students and classes, and she told whoever she could about the pantry.
“There were students who just had no idea about the food pantry,” Allen said. “I’ve heard so many stories of students who were down to their last, thinking, ‘OK, well, I think I’m going to drop out now because I can’t even finish this semester.’”
UNG has a food pantry at the Blue Ridge, Dahlonega, Gainesville and Oconee campuses. The hours for each campus’ pantry vary, but fall and spring semester hours are normally 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursdays. Exact hours for each pantry can be found here.
Kennesaw State University also runs two food pantries on the Marietta and Kennesaw campuses through its CARE Services.
Fournier said any KSU student can shop the pantry every 14 days. If students need to shop more frequently, they ask that students connect with case management services, which pairs students with a case manager who helps them find community resources in addition to the food pantries.
In January 2023 alone, they recorded about three times the amount of student shoppers compared to January 2022, Fournier said. So far in 2023, they’ve seen around 500 students. In 2022, the pantry saw over 900 student shoppers.
CARE Services has formed partnerships with on-campus and off-campus groups to help provide more resources to students. For example, Fournier said they work with MUST Ministries, an organization that works to address people’s basic needs, to provide students with fresh produce and meat, since KSU’s current food pantries don’t have the ability to offer those products.
In January, Fournier said MUST ran out of food.
“That’s how many students are utilizing that service,” she said. “So, that’s been a phenomenal partnership.”
Advocate for meal swipe donations
Swipe Out Hunger is one national nonprofit that works to address hunger in college students around the United States. The group partners with college campuses to develop campus solutions like meal swipe drives, food pantries, SNAP education and more. The nonprofit is also advocating for policy changes, like the Hunger Free Campus Bill which sends money to public colleges that are working to address student hunger.
Janelle Raymundo, director of communications for Swipe Out Hunger, said the organization has been working on letting students know what resources exist for them on campuses. She said she’s seen more faculty on campuses making sure students are educated on this issue and comfortable looking for help.
“That’s what we try to encourage,” Raymundo said. “The best way to destigmatize (student hunger) is to see that your peers are also using these resources or even just talking about this issue on campus.”
Raymundo said students or faculty who are interested in partnering with Swipe Out Hunger can start by filling out an interest form on the website. Someone from the organization will reach out and start by discussing what a partnership looks like and how Swipe Out Hunger can support and assist students on that specific campus.
When Swipe Out Hunger first began in 2010, it mostly ran meal swipe drives where students could donate their extra meal plan swipes to their peers. Over the years, more campuses have adopted this tactic.
Kennesaw State University runs a meal swipe drive twice a year. Fournier said students can donate one swipe per day over the course of a week. At the end of the week, they total the number of swipes and give preloaded cards to CARE Services. Fournier said she’s seen more and more students asking about these preloaded cards.
“It’s certainly a need that we see students specifically asking for money to purchase meals on campus,” she said.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Romero-Castro said there can be a stigma in asking for food assistance, but she reached out to a dining hall employee, who she said was happy to help. She also met other students with similar problems, which helped her know she was not alone.
“I wouldn’t have ever found out about it if I didn’t ask,” said Romero-Castro, who wishes there were more advertisements about these resources.
Students might have to hunt for help on their campuses, she added.
“Plan ahead, but also don’t be embarrassed to ask for help,” she said. “I did feel embarrassed at times, but I honestly met a lot of people without having a meal plan. I met other people in the same boat.”
What can you do to help?
There aren’t many student organizations that advocate for an end to food insecurity amongst students, but there are still ample ways to get involved. Here is a list of a few initiatives that Georgia colleges have pursued.
■ Georgia Chapters of the Food recovery network
■ National Action Network at Spelman College
■ University of Georgia’s CAES Global Food Security fund is used to help students understand the global community and assist faculty in integrating global experiences into their curriculum
■ Campus Kitchens
■ Georgia Tech
■ University of Georgia
■ Food Pantries
■ Albany State University
■ Georgia Southern University
■ Georgia State University
■ Middle State Georgia University
■ University of Georgia Food Pantry and Presbyterian Student Center at UGA Food Pantry
■ Valdosta State University