Food banks urge legislators to fight college hunger, improve graduation rates

TYLER – The East Texas Food Bank is having its say as the Feeding Texas network, made up of 21 food banks across the state, calls on state legislators to address hunger on college campuses in a virtual day of advocacy. According to a news release, the inability to afford basic needs is the number one reason cited by community college students for not completing their education. Even with tuition aid, 38% of students at two-year colleges and 29% of students at four-year universities experience hunger, according to a recent #RealCollege survey. “We know that some college students in our area are skipping meals and only eating once a day because it’s difficult for them to afford food and pay for school,” said Dennis Cullinane, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank, as quoted in the release. “It’s difficult to pay attention in class when you are hungry.”

Sen. Royce West and Rep. Armando Walle filed companion bills in the Senate (SB 557) and House (HB 1501) that would instruct the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to identify college degree programs that are vocational or technical in nature so that students enrolled in these programs can receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. Though federal policy severely restricts access to SNAP for college students, Congress made changes to guarantee food assistance for more students during the pandemic. However, this policy will expire when the Public Health Emergency ends in May, and thousands of students could lose their SNAP benefits at recertification, according to the release.