With Tuition Increasing and Financial Aid Stagnating, Food Pantries a Necessity on College Campuses

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Tori Nuccio and Jodi Roth-Saks
Tori Nuccio (right) and Jodi Roth-Saks, Director of Service Learning, stand in the food pantry that West Chester University opened last fall. (Image via David Swanson, Philadelphia Inquirer.)

With a growing number of students struggling to afford food, local and national universities have been recognizing and combating this troubling issue with on-campus food pantries, writes Jonathan Lai for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to a new study released late last year, close to half of students reported having some issues with securing enough food in the previous month. Additionally, one in five students attending four-year schools admitted to being hungry despite having a paying job.

Facing the issue head on, both West Chester University and Cabrini University have opened a student food pantry this school year.

“We’re hitting a point where something has to change,” said Tori Nuccio, assistant director of financial aid at West Chester.

Nuccio added that the numbers have increased significantly since the recession. With college costs continuing to grow and financial aid stagnating, more and more students are left unable to afford everything.

Since opening last semester, the resource center at WCU has given out 800 pounds of food, mostly funded by donations. The pantry also offers winter clothes, professional clothes, and toiletries.

Read more about hungry students in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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