preview

Food Pantry In College

Decent Essays

The application process for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits is a tedious process leaving many students confused on the process. Numerous students who do apply are deemed ineligible for benefits, due to the work requirements (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2017). There were 56 percent of college students who were employed while attending college, with 20 percent working full time (Dubick, et al., 2016). Among the food insecure students attending college, only 38 percent of students employed worked 20 hours or more per week which would make them eligible for SNAP benefits if they were to apply (Dubick et al., 2016). Less than thirty percent of food-insecure college students received SNAP benefits (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2017). There …show more content…

Many colleges and universities have utilized the food pantry approach. Food pantries are easier for campuses to utilize because of the ability to be flexible with the services rendered (Dubick., et al., 2016). Students can utilize the services without having to travel far, they are also more apt to use the services because it is a college program, not a community or public program. Seventeen percent of food insecure students utilized a campus food pantry, while 14 percent reported going to an off-campus food pantry or food bank (Dubick., et al., 2016). Traditional students are more apt to reside on campus and be aware of the services offered to them through their institution, they will also have the means to use the services provided without having to travel off campus. The student’s ease of access to food programs on campuses may not ease food insecurity, there is no research that indicates whether food pantries are effective in alleviating food …show more content…

Traditional students who are childless, reside on campus, and are enrolled in a meal plan are essentially either ineligible or find it very difficult to attain SNAP benefits. While traditional students may not have the financial expenses that a non-traditional student might have, they are deprived of assistance from the only federal program that benefits childless adults. When doing this study, the factors previously noted, led to the belief that a student’s classification may be a determining factor on how prone they are to be food insecure, with traditional being more food insecure than

Get Access