Back to School: New Notebooks, Class Schedules, and Hunger?
It’s October, a nostalgic month for many, and at mRelief we’re embracing the mood. Summer is over, the leaves are changing, we’ve brought out our fall jackets and pine scented candles, and for those of us who went to college, we’re donning college sweatshirts for Homecoming. Most of us are lucky to recall our college days fondly, but 36% of students today face a painful reality: they aren’t getting enough to eat.
A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows that social service programs like SNAP can and should be doing more to meet the growing need for adequate nutrition among college students. We know that SNAP cultivates achievement for students during early-education, but the problem doesn’t end after high school graduation. Hunger follows many children to their college campuses where they are less equipped to deal with food insecurity while faced with classes, homework, exams, housing and the burgeoning pressures of adult life.
The GAO report also shows that 71% of students today aren’t “typical” college students—those who enroll straight after high school and depend on their parents for financial support. The vast majority of students today may be financially independent, have children of their own, or are working full-time jobs. Add hunger to this equation and you’ll find a lot of college students struggling to graduate in 4 or even 6 years.
A study from 2016 on Student Food Access at The University of California found that food insecure students had lower grade point averages, and were more likely to suspend their studies due to financial hardships. Hunger also impairs cognitive development and leads to missed classes, so how can hungry students be expected to graduate on time, if at all? SNAP has the potential to improve outcomes for food insecure college students—it has been proven to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and lift people out of poverty. The problem is that a staggering 82% of college students who qualify for SNAP aren’t getting it.
So why aren’t students enrolling? Most students don’t even know they can. It’s up to the institutions of higher education, FNS and SNAP offices, and community based organizations to spread awareness of this life-saving program, and follow the GAO reports recommendations. For our part, mRelief has built a process that prepares students to submit their student-specific verifications prior to their interview, ensuring the fastest approval, but we are always striving to do more.
At Homecoming this year, try this: talk to a college student about hunger on campus. Do they know how common it is, or what resources are available to them? Do they know if they qualify for SNAP? Well, that’s where we come in: mrelief.com/ebt.
