Keystone Today

First lady Frances Wolf and first ladies Tracey Quillen-Carney of Delaware and Lauren Baker of Massachusetts recently held a virtual discussion to address student advocacy and hunger on college campuses. 

According to a July 22 news release from the governor's office, first lady Wolf spoke about the newly approved state budget allocation of $1 million toward the creation of the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program. National studies have shown that 33% of college students are food insecure, and about 52% of students who had food or housing insecurity in 2020 didn’t apply for support because they did not know how to do so.

“The Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program will help schools set up and expand campus food pantries, increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach, improve data gathering, and take other efforts needed to meet the nutritional needs of their student population,” Wolf said. “College students are pursuing careers that will benefit all of Pennsylvania, so it is important that we take steps like this to support their well-being.” 

According to a 2018 Government Accountability Office study, about 50% of undergraduate students in 2016 were responsible for their finances. The average age of a college student was found to be 25 years old. Also, 22% of undergraduates had dependent children, with 14% being single parents. While many college students coming out of high school relied on free or reduced meals in the past, these programs do not exist for college students. 

The Wolf Administration has demonstrated the commitment to addressing the needs of college students through expanding SNAP eligibility; launching an “It’s On Us PA” Campus Sexual Assault Prevention Initiative; ensuring Pennsylvanians would not need to pay state income tax on student loan debt relief; creating the Fostering Independence Through Education Act, and offering education assistance to National Guard members and families.

The event was held by Nazun, which is a Philadelphia-based national organization that develops leaders, builds communities of people looking to end campus hunger, and also works to solve what are deemed to be “urgent social challenges.” Thousands of students in more than 60 chapters across the country and Canada meet every week to bake challah and also discuss advocacy tactics for campus food insecurity. The students then sell the challah on campus with profits going to local and national anti-hunger projects.

This conversation was part of the Nazun “Summer Convenings: Bake, Connect, and Create Change series.” Part of the meeting was about student advocacy, with the first ladies encouraging students to take on their passion and get involved.

“It is important to identify your strengths and focus your energy on using those strengths to help the causes you care about,” Wolf said. “Students’ voices and experiences matter, and those elements alone mean that they deserve to have a seat at the table.” 

A recording of the conversation can be found at facebook.com/nazunleaders.