Combating Food Insecurity Among College Students and the Logistical Challenges

Food Insecurity amongst college students is a growing issue in today’s society due to the lack of access to food and programs commonly used for food assistance. Logistical issues present a unique challenge in feeding food-insecure college students. And the stigma associated with this food insecurity may cause students to avoid seeking assistance. Students are only able to address this challenge through 3 main solutions: pantries, meal swipe programs, and drive-thru pantries. Food insecurity challenges that individuals face can be found on Arizona State University campus. Currently, food insecurity is only addressed on campus through pantries and distribution centers. These are run through student-led organizations and typically are partnered with food banks or charities within the area. These solutions can be inconsistent and deal with logistic challenges like space, storage, and transportation. One of the proposed solutions to these challenges is programs like the Food Recovery Network.