COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY PANTRIES (CUP)

A research project at the University of Michigan-Dearborn

Given the rising costs of college and widening economic inequities facing Americans, many students are having to make difficult decisions, for example: should they buy books or food? In response, colleges across the U.S. have created campus food pantries to help their hungry students meet basic needs. In fact, over 700 campuses have pantries registered with the College and University Food Bank Alliance—a significant increase since 2015.

Through our research, we aim to:

1) Analyze how food pantries address food insecurity on U.S. campuses

2) Identify challenges and opportunities for development & implementation of campus pantries

3) Explore the impact campus pantries have on student success and well-being, including effective related interventions to address cross-cutting socioeconomic issues faced by students.