Hunger

Food Insecurity Persists Despite students’ Efforts
Utilizing Assistance Programs Does
Not Eliminate Food Insecurity
There is a wide range of services available to assist students in need,
ranging from local food banks and pantries to government programs
like SNAP (food stamps). However, some students may not be taking
advantage of these services, possibly because they are unaware of some
programs, are intimidated by the enrollment process, or are avoiding
these programs due to social stigma. 23
The survey asked students about their use of more than a dozen available
benefits and found that 61 percent of food insecure students reported
that their household had taken advantage of at least one aid service
in the past 12 months. The survey asked about a
wide range of benefits, with the assumption that any
benefits that address poverty might help to reduce
Sixty-one
percent of food
insecure students
reported that their
household had
taken advantage
of at least one aid
service in the past
12 months.
food insecurity.
The most widely used services were public benefit
programs like Medicaid, which was used by 28
percent, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), which was used by 25 percent.
These usage rates are comparable with those found by
other recent research on food insecure students. 24
In terms of other food programs, seventeen percent
of food insecure students reported utilizing a campus
food pantry, while 14 percent reported going to an
off-campus food pantry or food bank.
Given these low rates of usage, it’s likely that many of the food insecure
students in the study are missing out on benefits for which they would
be eligible, including easily accessed services like local food banks.
23 Tara Bahrampour, “More college students battle hunger as education and living costs rise,”
Washington Post, April 9, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/more-college-students-
battle-hunger-as-education-and-living-costs-rise/2014/04/09/60208db6-bb63-11e3-9a05-
c739f29ccb08_story.html.
24 Sara Goldrick-Rab et al, Wisconsin HOPE Lab, “Hungry to Learn: Addressing Food & Housing
Insecurity Among Undergraduates,” December 2015, http://www.wihopelab.com/publications/
Wisconsin_HOPE_Lab_Hungry_To_Learn.pdf.
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