“It really did open up my eyes.”īefore the food distribution event, Flowers didn’t realize that food insecurity existed.
“I looked up the logistics of how the setup would be and as I started to immerse myself more by reading articles and percentages of food insecurity,” Flowers said. At the beginning of October, ACC student life created a partnership with Central Texas Food Bank in order to encourage food distribution for ACC students on the first Friday of every month. In 2018, Flowers was asked to take on a project. At these food pantries, students who face food insecurity have the ability to get canned goods and other non-perishable items without a dollar sign associated with it. “Food insecurity does not look like anything, and it does not discriminate.”įlowers, who has been a part of Student Life for 14 years, oversees the food pantries located in the student life lounge of each ACC campus. “Sometimes you can’t even tell,” Student Life coordinator Jennifer Flowers said. Similar to these struggles, food insecurity is not always easy to identify. The gravity of food insecurity amongst students is often compared to issues such as homelessness, or not having enough funds to pay for education such as tuition and books. This can cause a practice of skipping meals and/or sacrificing food quality leading to unhealthy options that don’t provide the basic nutrients needed for a college student.
About half of that number was said to run out of money at least three times in the year prior.įood insecurity is when someone able to afford a suitable amount of nutritious food. According to an ACC financial study done in 2018, 34% of students reported having food insecurity, while 61% were worried that they won’t have enough money to pay for school. “The average college debt is $37,123, so where does that leave money for students to buy their own groceries?” “College is so expensive, and it’s an investment,” Alcala said. Making the choice between paying for books, tuition, and transportation, housing can often appear more vital for students than a month’s worth of groceries. For 22-year-old ACC student, Damienn Alcala, this is more than just a statistic it’s a reality. Have you ever tried focusing in a class while your stomach was rumbling? 20-30% of students in the United States have reported eating less due to food insecurity. ACC students and student life members shed light on the silent issue of food insecurity amongst the school.
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