It may by shocking to learn that one in five college students are food insecure. For California State University students, that equals more than 474,000 students. Many of these students are employed. But with the rising costs of tuition and rent, they face a hard choice — spend money on tuition or buy groceries?
CSUN students don’t have to choose. The CSUN Food Pantry provides emergency nourishment and basic necessities, like toiletries, to about 70-80 students each week at no cost to them. Healthy food options save students from eating cheap, non-nutritious food like fast food.
Being hungry hinders your concentration. It’s also often embarrassing and emotional for many to admit they need help buying groceries. Christel Bowen, a student assistant at the Food Pantry can attest to this because of the people she’s met at work.
“We see a lot of the same faces, and we continually try to build relationships with the students,” Christel said. “Our goal is to create an inviting and comfortable environment for our visitors. With this we hope to chip away at the stigma associated with asking for help. We are here to provide a needed resource to our campus community.”
The CSUN pantry is not limited to students. Faculty and staff may also obtain food assistance and help with with applying for CalFresh, a federally funded program that helps low-income individuals and families buy nutritious food.
Students work hard to get to college. Don’t let hunger get in the way of their graduation goals. Eliminate the choice between tuition and food for the CSUN community by supporting the CSUN Food Pantry. A gift of $100 can feed a family of four for a week; $1,000 provides the pantry with two weeks of food to serve an average of 120 students.
