demand for campus food assistance increases while federal benefits delayed

St.Scholastica students are increasingly turning to campus food assistance programs as the day-to-day uncertainty of whether they will receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits persists during the government shut down. 

Usually benefits are delivered on the first of every month but as of Nov. 7, senior nursing student Andrea Eiden had not gotten hers. She will able to purchase food with savings this month, but has to be cautious about what she buys. 

“If I use my own money, then I buy the cheaper stuff. I’m very mindful when I go shopping if it’s my own money. If I use SNAP, then I can buy some fruit if I want fruit and I can buy fresh stuff,” said Eiden. 

Food assistance is available on campus for any student, whether or not they receive SNAP.

“We’ve already heard from students that they are experiencing an impact from the lack of SNAP funding. We have seen in the last week or so an increase in utilization of all the resources we have for food assistance,” said Jessica Ellingson, who currently oversees the campus food pantry, Storm’s cupboard. 

Any student can schedule an appointment to access the pantry, which is stocked with a variety of nonperishable grocery items. In addition, Campus Ministry also manages two other food assistance programs. 

“[Swipe out hunger is] a partnership between SGA, Storm’s Cupboard and Saints Dining where students and faculty and staff can donate their dining dollars or meal swipes to this program and saints dining puts those donated resources onto the accounts of students who request it,” said Ellingson. 

Students can receive up to 10 meal swipes and 30 dining dollars each month. 

Campus Ministry also offers grocery gift cards, primarily to Walmart. While they are available to any student, this food assistance is tailored for off campus students who can’t access the other programs. 

“[Students] can get a $50 [gift card] up to three times no questions asked during the course of the academic year. It has to be at least 30 days between those requests. Beyond that, students would need to fill out a care report and show financial need in order to be able to continue to receive that because those funds are more limited for us,” said Ellingson. 

Information on how to utilize the three programs is accessible from the hunger resources page.  

As more students utilize campus food assistance programs due to uncertainty in government benefits, securing funding for these programs is becoming increasingly critical. According to the student government meeting on Nov. 5, the Swipe out Hunger program is in deficit. Campus Ministry is hoping to be the recipients of a Hunger Free Campus grant.

“We have been awarded [the] grant in the past and it’s been a great support for our on campus food insecurity resources so we’re really hopeful. But we won’t have access to [those funds] until next semester sometime,” said Sammi Good Nelson, from Campus Ministry. 

Donations also go a long way to fund the programs.