Common Cause: Combatting food insecurity in our communities and on our campuses

Posted by Campus Compact on November 4, 2025

As of 2023, the last time the USDA published its annual Household Food Security Report, 1 in 7 Americans faced food insecurity. College students’ access to food is even more perilous. National averages estimate that 1 in 4 college students experience low or very low food insecurity every month, with some institution types like private for-profit colleges (32.9%) and HBCUs (38.8%) seeing much higher rates of food insecurity in their student populations (The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs).

Part of Campus Compact’s mission is to partner with communities to address complex social issues and further equity, justice, and prosperity for all, and addressing hunger among both college students and community members is central to that mission. Not only is addressing basic needs connected to higher education’s public purpose, but it’s also essential to creating a culture of civic engagement. In their report released this past summer, our Student Design Fellows explicitly named that “across every demographic, college students face a lack of equitable access to basic needs, which is the most prevalent barrier to participation in civic engagement activities. By providing proactive, student-centered, evidence-based wraparound services that offer personalized and coordinated assistance to help students overcome barriers to entry, campuses can reduce barriers to student leadership participation.”

While hunger on college campuses is not new, the issue of food security is magnified and exacerbated by the federal government shutdown’s impact on critical safety net programs relied upon by both communities and students. Food insecurity is a wicked problem that, especially without federal basic needs programs, requires a multi-faceted approach. By engaging diverse stakeholders across our campuses and throughout our communities, and by deploying layers of support to meet this moment of heightened need, college campuses can be part of the solution for the many college students and community members facing increased food insecurity. In this issue of Common Cause, we’ll share some ways we’re already combating food insecurity and offer some resources you can use to expand this work on your own campus.

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