It’s hard to imagine that in one of the wealthiest states in the nation, there are college students going hungry.
That’s the reason for New Jersey’s Hunger-Free Campus Act grants, an existing fund that helps pay for food resources on college campuses. The state’s Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) announced last month that $1.2 million more in grants will go to 34 state colleges in 2025.
How did we get here? According to the website for Englewood-based Hunger Free New Jersey, food insecurity is cited as the third most important issue affecting college campuses. Those most at risk for hunger are first-generation students and single parents, and they are among a college population significantly less likely to graduate than others.
The state grants will help students better access available campus food programs and qualify for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. At the moment, more than half of those who could qualify for that program have not applied, according to a 2019 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Students from 18 to 49 who are enrolled at least half-time in a college, university, community college or business, technical, trade or vocational school may be eligible.
The new Hunger-Free Campus Act funds will not only help students access that program, but will also financially bolster related resources on campuses, including food pantries and student stores. Among schools that will share the new grants are Rowan University and Camden County College.
“This funding will help provide comprehensive support on college campuses … and is one of the most valuable investments we can make in the health and well-being of our future leaders, enabling them to earn their degrees without additional barriers and reach their highest potential,” said State Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz.
Signed into law in 2019, the Hunger-Free Campus Act established a fund of $1 million to help colleges expand hunger programs. But the newly announced extension of $1.2 million in those grants reflects a recent 150% increase in fund applications to the program.
Neither New Jersey nor its college students are alone when it comes to food insecurity. The New York Times recently reported that $5.3. billion meals were distributed by the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, Feeding America, in 2023 alone. More than 13% of Americans that year experienced food insecurity, defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the lack of access to enough food for an active and healthy life.
Hunger remains “widespread and persistent,” the newspaper stated in an editorial. Hunger on campus though, is an issue that has evolved over the years.
“The modern-day student experience looks very different than in the past,” explained Mark Dinglasan, executive director of the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate. “While pursuing educational opportunities that can change the trajectory of their lives, students are balancing jobs, supporting families or simply facing precarious circumstances that can force them to make difficult decisions between paying for food, rent, tuition and other needs.”
Feeding students, he added, “strengthens the campus community and surrounding communities, and puts stability and economic liberation within reach.”
For more information on student hunger in the state, visit the Hunger Free New Jersey website at hungerfreenewjersey.org.
