College Food - "food insecurity"

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
There's a hunger problem on America's college campuses


Montclair State University's food pantry is tucked away down a maze of hallways in the student center. Like the hunger problem on campus itself, the pantry is not quite out in the open.

It opened on the New Jersey college's campus in April, after administrators started hearing from students who said they were hungry and didn't have enough money for food. They surveyed students, finding that more than half said they or someone they know experiences "food insecurity" -- the lack of access to affordable, nutritious food.

On one Thursday in December, 33 students visited the food pantry, taking what they need to help make ends meet. They left with bread, cereal, milk, spaghetti, canned vegetables, as well as personal items like shampoo and soap.

[clip]

The number of food pantries on college campuses is exploding. While there's no official count, membership in the College and University Food Bank Alliance has quadrupled in the past two years. It currently has 398 members.

"Do I think there's always been a need? I would say yes. But students are being more vocal about it," said Fatima deCarvalho, the Associate Dean of Students at Montclair State.


really this is a thing ..... get'em started early on Welfare ... don't encourage people to get ahead - give a man a fish, instead of teaching him to fish
 

glhs837

Power with Control
This directly speak to Mike Rowes point that many kids who do NOT need to be there are there.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Paying for food is cutting into their beer money.

This is interesting to me because I have a large problem with the ridiculous cost of college tuition. It's amazing that you have professors who are being paid exorbitant sums of money for teaching a single class - some don't actively teach at all - and yet the cost of education is so high that some students need to hit up a food pantry. It's early and I haven't really fleshed this out yet, but be aware that a rant on this subject is in your future.
 
The pantry may be a new thing, but the starving student is nothing new. I missed many meals in my college days for lack of funds. You learn to get creative. Like convincing the also-starving student running the school sandwich shop that if you get a sandwich, the difference between bread and a roll is 25 cents. Mayo is free. Tomatoes are free. Lettuce is free. Therefore a lettuce, tomato and mayo sandwich on a roll is 25 cents.

I was studying marine science, school was on the water. We'd raid the scuba lockers and go get blue claw crabs, lobster, clams.... and cook them in a perk coffee maker on a hot plate.

Creative.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
That is a bunch of BS, I bet they have money for an expensive cell phone plan, piercings, and tattoos.

There was always some place to scam some free food on campus when I was there. On Friday nights we even had free breakfast at the student union in an effort to keep the drunks safe.
 

GregV814

Well-Known Member
well, based on current events and the need for College safety zones, one can look at it this way....the snowflakes need coloring books and a safety pins to protect them, they amass "cry ins" over elections and need to cut class to console one another. So, with this in mind, I am sure Gerber can supply foods to soothe their delicate palates...


Now, compare them to the service personnel serving in the South Pacific on that sleepy morning 75 years ago. The contrast between our fathers and our sons and grandsons couldn't be more dramatic.
 

mAlice

professional daydreamer
I've never known a college student that wasn't living on ramen or spagettio's. Get back to me when you'd give your eye teeth for an MRE, because you're standing duty somewhere that they can't get food to you.

Bunch of flippin' babies.
 
Now, compare them to the service personnel serving in the South Pacific on that sleepy morning 75 years ago. The contrast between our fathers and our sons and grandsons couldn't be more dramatic.

Get back to me when you'd give your eye teeth for an MRE, because you're standing duty somewhere that they can't get food to you.

Bunch of flippin' babies.

I was never in the service and don't always think along those lines, so it's good to be reminded to put things in perspective. :yay:
 

jrt_ms1995

Well-Known Member
Selling blood plasma netted me $20/week 36 years ago; I'm sure inflation has pushed that higher these days. :nomoney:
 

Merlin99

Visualize whirled peas
PREMO Member
The pantry may be a new thing, but the starving student is nothing new. I missed many meals in my college days for lack of funds. You learn to get creative. Like convincing the also-starving student running the school sandwich shop that if you get a sandwich, the difference between bread and a roll is 25 cents. Mayo is free. Tomatoes are free. Lettuce is free. Therefore a lettuce, tomato and mayo sandwich on a roll is 25 cents.

I was studying marine science, school was on the water. We'd raid the scuba lockers and go get blue claw crabs, lobster, clams.... and cook them in a perk coffee maker on a hot plate.

Creative.

We'd net shrimp in the St. Johns river when I lived in Charleston and cook them the same way. Years later I learned you weren't supposed to eat anything out of that river.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Selling blood plasma netted me $20/week 36 years ago; I'm sure inflation has pushed that higher these days. :nomoney:

Was $52 in the mid 90's.

The thing is there is always some sort of aid available. My major was begging kids to sign up for the small scholarships that were available to them, I filled out a form that was shorter than a typical dr visit form, turned it into the office and a few weeks later I got a $200 check to do with whatever I wanted to with. I also had a job with the college my last two years that paid $7.50/hr for 15-18 hrs a week. That and a federal student loan kept me in tuition in my very own (fairly nice) apartment right near campus that I did not have to share with anyone.
 
Top