The University of Massachusetts Amherst student chapter of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MassPIRG) and state legislators are campaigning for the Hunger Free Campus Bill this spring to combat campus food insecurity.
Food insecurity — defined as the limited or uncertain access to reliable, nutritious meals — has become a pressing issue on college campuses, threatening students’ overall well-being and academic performance. A 2024 report from the Greater Boston Food Bank revealed that 44 percent of public university students in Massachusetts are currently facing food insecurity.
The Hunger Free Campus Bill is an effort to combat this issue. It would provide capacity, guidance and funding to help public universities address food insecurity on campus through the Department of Higher Education.
“This is so basic — it’s food. No animal can live without food. We need to be able to make sure people’s very basic needs are met and have access to good, nutritious food so that they’re able to thrive. We’re going to fight for every dollar,” Sen. Joan B. Lovely, D-Salem, lead sponsor of the bill said.
Lovely’s efforts in implementing the bill go back a few years to when the former president of North Shore Community College, Patricia A. Gentile, frequently overheard students saying they didn’t have money to buy lunch, and were considering dropping out. Gentile then started an informal voucher program.
“She would slip [the students] a voucher and say, ‘Go eat lunch. If you don’t have money, come to me.’ That’s what kind of started all of this,” Lovely said.
Lovely helped file the first version of the bill to start piloting a grant program with grant funds that would be allocated to different public universities based on the level of food insecurity on their campuses. A total of $1.5 million was funded for it. Lovely, along with Rep. Andres X Vargas, D-Haverhill, and Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, then refiled an act establishing the Hunger Free Campus Initiative (H.1293/S.385) in Jan. 2023.
“We are going to advocate again to be able to fund it. Any funding you’re trying to secure is competitive with other programs and needs. In the meantime, we’ll take what we have,” Lovely said. “We’re making sure students are not hungry. We are very proud of it.”
Students on campuses are advocating for the bill as well. University of Massachusetts students Maitri Chandrashekar, a junior sustainable community development major, and Emily Depina-Londono, a junior food science and sustainable farming major, are the current organizers of the Hunger and Homelessness campaign for the UMass chapter of MassPIRG.
“I hear a lot of discussion about food insecurity on campus. I took a food discussion class last year, and everybody was talking about how expensive the meal plan is or how they can’t afford their meals here, and this is a public university,” said Depina-Londono. “Everyone should have access to healthy, nutritious foods. So, if we can make a difference, I think it would really matter.”
Chandrashekar and Depina-Londono’s work includes tabling and petitioning at locations on campus, such as the Student Union and Worcester Dining Hall. According to them, many students sign the petition and express interest in the campaign.
Beyond petitioning, they organize food drives and service events. Last semester, their food drive raised 735 pounds of food for the Amherst Survival Center.
“It was so nice to see everybody’s faces when we dropped the food off,” said Depina-Londono.
Additionally, they recently took part in a lobbying day with legislators to advocate for the bill.
“It’s definitely a learning experience on how to effectively talk to representatives to get what you want,” said Chandrashekar about the event. “Hopefully, we can get a permanent grant in the federal budget.”
When asked what they thought the most important thing students could do to support the cause was, Depina-Londono and Chandrashekar both agreed on education. “So many people are naive about this issue and think about it globally — yeah, people are food insecure, but not here — that’s the general mentality,” Chandrashekar said.
UMass students interviewed on campus expressed a general lack of awareness of the bill but agreed it was an important issue. Emma Desharnais, a sophomore journalism major, said the university should improve their meal swipe system to alleviate concerns from off-campus students specifically.
“Just because you’re off campus doesn’t mean you should have to be rationing your meals. You shouldn’t have to worry about that as a college student,” said Desharnais. “If students are on the go and don’t have time for a sit-down meal at a dining hall, they should be able to use their meal swipes at nearby cafes or something.”
Ela Shevket, a sophomore biology major, echoed this sentiment.
“I haven’t really heard about the Hunger Free Campus bill, but I would definitely support it if it means helping students and their hunger needs. The meal plans aren’t cheap here, especially given how much we pay to go to this school,” she said.
Filippa Roos Olsson can be reached at [email protected].
