UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Education has recognized Penn State's University Park campus as a "Hunger-Free Campus."
The Hunger-Free Campus initiative is intended to advance student food security efforts across the state. In addition to receiving the title of “Hunger-Free Campus,” the designation comes with the opportunity for universities to apply for a grant to continue addressing hunger on campus.
According to national statistics provided by the Department of Education, an estimated 36% of students know someone who dropped out of college due to food insecurity during the pandemic, and roughly 52% of students who faced food or housing insecurity in 2020 did not apply for support because they did not know how. Today, one-third of postsecondary students are at risk of hunger.
Penn State's Student Care and Advocacy Office, Students United Against Poverty, and the Lion’s Pantry collaborated on the Hunger-Free Campus application.
“Even just the designation 'Hunger-Free Campus' is valuable to our efforts to raise awareness and let students, parents and staff know that it is important for us to make sure students aren’t going hungry,” said Leanne Lenz, associate director of Student Care and Advocacy, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs.
The application highlighted the University’s Food and Housing Needs survey — intended to identify areas of need across campus — and its efforts to connect students to food resources. These resources include the Lion’s Pantry, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the Student Emergency Fund, which can help students meet basic needs when they receive an unanticipated cost.
The application detailed the positions generated in the Student Care and Advocacy Office to focus on students’ basic needs. It also mentioned the University’s participation in "Swipe Out Hunger" — a nine-day program where students can donate money when they purchase a meal at a residential dining facility.
Additionally, the application discussed the Basic Needs Security Initiatives Collaborative Council — a campus-wide group put in place to unite and expand the University’s food resources.
Students United Against Poverty, Lion’s Pantry, and Student Care and Advocacy are applying for the $60,000 grant associated with the Hunger-Free Campus initiative. The application is due by the end of the month.
Najee Rodriguez — executive director of Students United Against Poverty — said the goal of the grant is to fill in the gaps between the University’s various food insecurity resources.
“Being named a 'Hunger-Free Campus' is a commitment to ensure that every student has their basic needs secured in the future,” Rodriguez said. “That designation shows that we’ve already done a lot, and it also shows that there’s more to be done when addressing this issue.”
Mirroring this sentiment, Lion’s Pantry Manager Heide Gibson said she is excited to see what the support of the Hunger-Free Campus initiative does for the University.
“We have a designation as a hunger-free campus, but that’s actually an effort to become a hunger-free campus,” Gibson said. “We aren’t right now, but hopefully — with this designation, the awareness, the support at the state level — we will actually become a hunger-free campus.”