Student hunger on college campuses is something not many people are aware of. With the rising school costs, it can be hard for students to afford meal plans or groceries for themselves. Researchers at Temple University and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab found that 36 percent of students at colleges and universities do not get enough to eat.
The research includes students who attend two-year, four-year, private and public universities. Many students do not know where to turn, since colleges do not share that there is help on campuses for students who are going hungry.
The University of California found that 40 percent of its student suffer food insecurity. Four state universities in Illinois found that there are 35 percent of students suffering from food insecurities. With the amount of students suffering, why there is not a resource offer to students?
Cabrini offers students the resources of the Cabrini Cupboard. The Cabrini Cupboard is a program that is available to students who are having difficulty accessing food on a regular basis. Cabrini Cupboard also provide other common supplies such as toiletries and school supplies. The Cabrini Cupboard information is located in Campus Ministry, Center for Student Success, Wolfington Center, Residence Life, Student Life and Student Diversity.
To register for the Cabrini Cupboard, you can visit one of the locations listed or fill out the food pantry intake application.
During the summer, Shaiann Lyde, sophomore biology major, went to the Cabrini Cupboard to receive help with getting food since she did not have the money for food.
“Cabrini is one of the schools that cares about students who don’t have financial stability and have students go to the cupboard to receive food they need,” Lyde said.
Schools that don’t have a program to help students who are not financially able to afford food and meals on their college’s campus could struggle the most. Some students could come from low-income environments with scholarships and grants, so there might not be enough to cover expenses for food. Students who enroll in Cabrini are immediately told about the Cabrini Cupboard, so if they need any help the resources are available for them to contact.
“What’s nice about Cabrini is that they offer the cupboard program to help students unlike some state schools who don’t have a program to help their students,” Mike Torres, sophomore finance major, said.
