Correction: This story was updated at 2:02 p.m. April 25 to remove information fabricated by the reporter and to accurately attribute information to the Swipe Out Hunger website instead of Tenille Metti Bowling, the organization’s vice president of communications.
Business senior Mariah Moreno says it’s a challenge to put food on the table as a student and young single mother.
Moreno said the lowest point was when she couldn’t pay for her car because she used her money on groceries she needed at home.
“It’s hard being a full-time student as well as a full-time mom and only working part-time not making much,” said Moreno, 23, who works as a waitress. “My daughter is only 1, and most of my money goes to her diapers and wipes plus bill, and I’m left with just a little for food.”
A number of college students — including some at Texas A&M University-San Antonio — are affected by food insecurity, which is one of the most common afflictions among college students. One in three students on college campuses faces hunger, making them one of the most affected yet overlooked communities.
Reasons could be rising tuition costs, expensive college meal plans and the lack of affordable, nutritious food, according to Education Data Initiative. The pandemic has exacerbated the situation.
According to a report by Chegg.org, the nonprofit arm of Silicon Valley edtech company Chegg, nearly one-third of students (29%) have had to miss meals at least once a week since COVID-19 hit, with juniors and seniors experiencing more food insecurity than freshmen and sophomores (35% versus 26%).
Moreno tries to stop by the General’s Store on campus on Wednesdays once a month. The store provides supplemental food to members of the A&M-San Antonio community who need assistance.
“I sometimes feel embarrassed when picking up food at the General’s Store because I don’t want anyone to know I struggle, but then I remember that the reason they provide is for students like me, and I’m not the only one,” Moreno said. “I also have my daughter, so getting food from the General’s Store food pantry helps me a lot.”
The General’s Store has served 386 students from Jan. 6 through April 7 this semester.
There are people who like to help students in need.
On March 2, education junior Araceli Rodriguez donated food to the General’s Store food pantry.
“It felt good donating cans of food for the school’s food pantry for the first time,” Rodriguez said.
Growing up with a mother and father who have a big heart for helping others inspired Rodriguez to want to help others as well.
“My parents have always been involved with helping others whether it is donating food or lending someone a hand for help,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said it breaks her heart to know there are students on campus who struggle with food insecurity.
“I’m lucky enough that my parents help me so I won’t struggle. So donating what I can makes my heart feel whole because I’m helping others who are in need and I will continue to donate,” Rodriguez said.
Many organizations help college students in need of food, and Swipe Out Hunger is one of them.
Swipe Out Hunger is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger among college students. The organization collaborates with colleges and universities to develop and implement a variety of anti-hunger programs, such as “The Swipe Drive,” which allows students to donate meals to their peers who are experiencing food insecurity on campus.
According to Swipe Out Hunger, the organization provided 500,000 meals to students experiencing food insecurity across the nation in 2020 and 2021.
Swipe Out Hunger believes colleges and universities should prioritize meeting students’ basic needs.
The 2022-2024 strategic plan says the organization completed its three-year strategic plan “in achieving its mission.”
The strategic plan highlights goals such as “effective programming to support students” facing hunger struggles, advocating for “student food security” policies and creating a strong organization to end student hunger.
For more information, visit www.swipehunger.org.
