U.S. PIRG endorses Campus Hunger Reduction Act of 2019

U.S. PIRG

 

U.S. PIRG endorses Campus Hunger Reduction Act of 2019

U.S. PIRG has endorsed the Campus Hunger Reduction Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill that would help colleges and universities address hunger on campus, which was introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) and Rep. Roger Marshall (KS-01) on March 13, 2019. At least one in five college students report not having enough food to eat on a regular basis. One in ten students at community colleges report having to go an entire day without eating.

“No student should go hungry in our world of abundance. We’re literally throwing away the solution to hunger in our country,” said U.S PIRG Zero Hunger Campaign Associate Damiana Dendy. This bill is part of the solution to hunger because it can support programs that get resources that would otherwise be wasted to those who need them.”

The bill would make institutions of higher education eligible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Food Projects grant program which funds projects that address the food needs and food access of low-income individuals.

“No student should ever have to decide to either buy a textbook for a course or eat food,” said Amanda O. Agwuegbo, Chapter Chair of NJPIRG at Rutgers – New Brunswick and Zero Hunger and Zero Waste Campaign Coordinator. “Food insecurity on a college campus is often an overlooked issue, but it shouldn’t be when we have enough resources to achieve zero hunger by cutting waste. Having just one college student food insecure is one too many, and I won’t be satisfied until there is zero hunger on every college campus.”

U.S. PIRG’s Zero Hunger Campaign is recruiting campus administrations to make public commitments to achieving zero hunger by cutting waste. Students and campus leaders committing to Zero Hunger will find out who on campus is hungry, find out where there are underutilized resources such as food or meal swipes, and finally create a comprehensive plan to get those resources to those who need them. With institutional support from administrators, student government bodies, and student organizations, the goal of Zero Hunger can be achieved.

Contact: Damiana Dendy, Zero Hunger Campaign Associate, [email protected]