Senator Schiff Unveils Legislative Package to Expand Access to Affordable Meals for College Students, Address Food Insecurity on College Campuses  

Legislation will directly benefit Grossmont and Cuyamaca College students

 

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is unveiling two pieces of legislation that will provide college students across the nation’s campuses access to affordable, nutritious, and hot meals – addressing the worsening food insecurity students on college campuses face. 

The Hot Meals for College Students Act will allow for college students to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase hot and prepared meals from on-campus vendors. The Food for Thought Act will direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a grant program for colleges to offer free meals to low-income students. 

“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 Senator Schiff. 

As the food and housing insecurity crises worsen, these challenges are especially acute in California, where the rising cost of food, housing and other necessities continues to strain students already confronting the high cost of attending college.  

Senator Schiff developed this legislation through his ongoing effort to visit community colleges across California and hear directly from students about the challenges they face. During a visit to San Bernardino Valley College, Jazmyn Garcia, a San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) Student Trustee, raised the difficulty of not being able to use SNAP benefits to purchase meals on campus. By bringing students’ experiences into the policymaking process, this bill offers a practical solution to make SNAP more accessible on college campuses and ensure students can more readily use their benefits for nutritious food. 

“Students like me aren’t asking for a new benefit. We’re asking to use the food assistance we already qualify for where we spend most of our day. I’m a full-time STEM student, I work, and SNAP is my food budget. I already qualify for these benefits, but I can’t use them to buy a hot meal from the cafeteria on my own campus. I try to meal prep, but between school and work, some days I just can’t. A lot of students are balancing school, jobs, bills and family while preparing for careers our communities need. Being able to use SNAP for a hot meal on campus would remove one small but real barrier to finishing college. I’m grateful Senator Schiff came to our campus, listened to students and is working to fix that,” said Jazmyn Garcia, a San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) Student Trustee.  

“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. Senator Schiff’s bill is a common-sense fix,” said Dr. Diana Z. Rodriguez, SBCCD’s Chancellor. 

The Hot Meals for College Students is endorsed by SwipeOut Hunger, the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, National Education Association (NEA), University of California Student Association (UCSA), University of California Graduate & Professional Council (UCGPC), The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), UAW Local 4811, which represents UC student workers, UAW Local 4123, California Community Colleges, Allan Hancock College, College of the Siskiyous, San Bernardino Community College District, Sierra College, Solano Community College, Victor Valley College, Woodland Community College, MiraCosta College, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, and Pasadena City College. 

The full text of the legislation is available here.   

A one-pager for the legislation is available here.