By Izzy Bratton
Over the summer, I worked with Hunger Free Colorado and Young invincibles as an
anti-hunger fellow. I learned the importance of food assistance in creating strong communities and how college students need help accessing and connecting with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). (Which is relevant now, more than ever, in these strenuous circumstances.)
During the fellowship, I worked to improve access to SNAP and develop outreach materials. The policy they are working on will allow community college students to apply for SNAP and the outreach materials will help increase awareness and destigmatize food assistance on college campuses. At the end of my fellowship, I was asked to reflect on the following questions.
Why do you think food insecurity on college campuses is an issue and how are you working through this fellowship to make the issue more equitable?
I think food security on campuses is an issue because many students with limited resources end up putting their resources towards school instead of food (prioritizing their education over their health). Right now, accessing SNAP (or other types of food assistance) is nearly impossible for college students, and almost half of college students experience food insecurity during their education.
I would argue that college students are at a stage of their lives during which they haven’t built up the stability needed to have reliable access to resources like food and are investing in their future ability to support themselves. College can be expensive, with all the books, tuition, and room and board. But for many students, the tuition or debt is worth it for their career and their future lives. I don’t think anyone should have to choose between their health and their education.
How has this fellowship changed your perspective on food insecurity on college campuses?
This fellowship has changed my perspective on food insecurity on college campuses in many ways. Throughout the fellowship, I realized that this problem is fixable and that there’s something I, and everyone, can do to help. The world actually produces enough to feed everyone on earth 1.5 times over, so we have enough food to feed everyone. But making sure everyone has access to that food is the hard part. In a society where you have to pay for your basic needs, a lot of people have to go without. In every election, voting gives us the power to change lives and communities for the better.
What do you want other college students to know about hunger on college campuses
and SNAP?
I understand how you could feel that using SNAP could make you unsuccessful, but it simply doesn’t. I personally know many highly successful people (lawyers, politicians, doctors, etc.) who at some point in their lives utilized food assistance programs to get where they are today. The assistance they received didn’t hinder that success. It helped them to reach that point. Food assistance is just a tool to reach your goals. College students who are working to build their futures and struggling with food insecurity need programs like SNAP. And it can help create the next generation of successful members of society.
Overall, food insecurity is more prevalent on college campuses than most people realize. But there’s something that can be done about this problem. Increasing access to SNAP on college campuses is a step toward creating more inclusive and stronger communities. Every person holds the power to change the world.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” -Edmund Burke