On Tuesday, November 15th, State Senator Ed Kennedy attended the UMass Lowell College Student Hunger Discussion and Strive Pantry Tour. The purpose of the event was to discuss the crisis of food insecurity among college students and advocate for the passage of S.2811 / H.4697, An Act establishing the Massachusetts Hunger Free Campus Initiative.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, more than one third of students who attend a public university are food insecure. Of that population, only 20% utilize Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan benefits. Food insecurity is disproportionately affecting Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ students at rates of 52%, 47%, and 46% respectively. Secure accessibility to food is essential to a student’s academic success.
An Act establishing the Massachusetts Hunger Free Campus Initiative aims to address the challenges faced by colleges and universities tackling food insecurity. The bill would create an Office of Capacity Building Services at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to provide funding, technical assistance, and grant opportunities to campuses aiming to address food insecurity. This legislation would incentivize campuses to leverage existing resources and maximize enrollment in federal nutrition programs. Additionally, S2811 / H.4697 urges campuses to create student-led food insecurity task forces to explore instituting anti-hunger initiatives to be considered for grant funding.
