Permanent link for Naming and Addressing Food Insecurity on Campus on September 12, 2023

According to a 2016 survey of 34 two- and four-year colleges in the US, a staggering 30% of students experience food insecurity at some point during their time on campus, with numbers as high as 48% reporting it within the last 30 days. With the sharp economic decline that accompanied the pandemic, some estimates suggest the national rate of food insecurity has doubled since then. This has led some to call food insecurity on college campuses "the invisible epidemic."

There is ample research outlining the devastating effect food- and basic-needs-insecurity can have on a student’s performance and health, as food-insecure students generally fall into a lower GPA category, have lower completion rates, and have reported higher levels of stress and depression, to name a few.

University food banks are a small-scale but critical solution to a very large-scale issue, and we are thrilled to support GVSU’s fantastic Replenish Basic Needs Center with an Interfaith Food Drive next Thursday, September 21st on the Allendale Campus. Our hope is to raise awareness about the pervasiveness of this issue, to try to remove the stigma of turning to Replenish for support, and to stock Replenish’s shelves!

Replenish’s mission statement states it quite succinctly: “By offering free basic needs items while connecting students to essential services, Replenish helps students meet the short-term challenges of accessing basic needs, while also building and advocating for long-term support services to address these needs, all while using a holistic and social justice approach.” They serves students on each of GV’s three predominant campuses - Allendale, Pew, and the Health Campus. Not only do they provide free perishable and non-perishable food items, they connect students to a wide variety of support resources on and off campus, including mental health services, financial assistance, technology needs, and more.

The United Campus Christian Fellowship, Campus Ministry, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship are teaming up with the Kaufman Interfaith Institute to host this drive. Let’s get folks out in droves to support our Laker community!

Posted by Elizabeth English on Permanent link for Naming and Addressing Food Insecurity on Campus on September 12, 2023.