Two federal bills were introduced Friday to address food insecurity on college campuses. One of those bills was inspired by a Crafton Hills College student.
Jazmyn Garcia, a Crafton Hills student trustee for the San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD), brought her concerns to Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) when he visited San Bernardino Valley College in May.
“We've seen a big push on campuses for students to take advantage of signing up for SNAP food benefits and CalFresh, but we're not able to use those benefits on campus,” Garcia told KVCR.
The Hot Meals for College Students Act would allow students to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to buy hot and prepared meals from on-campus vendors.
“College students should never have to worry about where their next meal will come from or have to drop out because they can’t afford food and tuition. These bills are a commonsense approach to addressing student hunger and strengthening higher education,” said Schiff.
The bill would also require the USDA to study students’ use of SNAP for on-campus meals and report its findings and recommendations to Congress to help improve access.
Garcia says she’s in disbelief that she inspired a bill: “I was just surprised by how much this stuck with [Schiff].”
SBCCD Chancellor Diana Z. Rodriguez celebrated Schiff’s bill. “We can’t expect students to do their best in class when they’re hungry, and we can’t expect faculty to teach around hunger. Our cafeterias are already here serving students every day. Federal rules should not make it harder for students who already qualify for SNAP to use those benefits for a hot meal on campus.”
Schiff also introduced the Food for Thought Act that would create a USDA grant program to provide free meals to low-income college students, including those at minority-serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
That bill would amend federal law to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to institutions of higher education to provide those meals.
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