Food pantries added to Utah colleges as inflation impacts students

SALT LAKE CITY — Many college food pantries have been added to Utah campuses because of a growing need among students.

Community Action Services and Food Bank Chief Impact Officer Jessica Miller said inflation has especially hit college students hard. It’s difficult to pay for tuition, housing, and food, so food takes a back seat.

“Historically you often hear about starving students,” Miller said. “It isn’t unheard of for students to kind of be food insecure. But right now, that population has expanded.”

Over 30% of college students experience food insecurity compared to the national average of about 14%.

Miller’s organization has partnered with a food bank on Utah Valley University’s campus. She said her organization brings fresh produce to the college on Fridays to help.

The need for food is so great that Miller said her organization often gives out hundreds of pounds of produce in just a couple of hours.

“We’re there for a couple of hours, and it’s gone by the end,” Miller said. “It’s … hundreds and hundreds of pounds of food.”

The importance of college food pantries

According to Miller, people expect college students to be poor, but that isn’t something people should accept.

Miller said there’s often a stigma about students going to a food bank. She said she wants students to take advantage of campus food banks and invest in their health, along with their education.

“[College students] are in a time of life where they’re investing in their future,” Miller said. “They need to invest in their physical condition in that if there are resources, they utilize those.”

Britt Johnson is a reporter and anchor for KSL NewsRadio.  

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