Feeding hungry students: College students' experiences using food pantries and successful strategies for implementing on-campus food assistance programs

Objective To examine the components of successful food assistance programs for college students. Participants Focus groups conducted during the fall 2019 semester included undergraduate students who accessed a food assistance program on campus (n = 26). Key informant interviews were conducted with professionals working with campus-based food assistance programs (n = 5). Methods Student insight regarding experiences on campus-based food assistance programs was gathered. Key informant interviews were conducted to gain an understanding of strategies put in place to alleviate food insecurity among college students. Results Emerging focus group themes included financial stressors, eating strategies, struggling to feed dependents, utilization of university-based food assistance programs, and SNAP enrollment. Key informant interviews revealed six strategies of effective food assistance programs: increasing access, securing funding, procurement/distribution of healthy foods, partnerships, outreach, and decreasing stigmatization. Conclusions A mission driven approach has the potential to meet the complex needs of food insecure college students.

Automated summary

This study aims to examine the components of successful food assistance programs for college students. Through focus groups and key informant interviews, six strategies of effective food assistance programs were identified, while themes of financial stressors, eating strategies, struggling to feed dependents, etc., were discovered among college students.