More Students Than Ever Are Using Rutgers' Student Food Pantry

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — You may not know that Rutgers has a student food pantry — and more students than ever are using it.

Located off campus, at 39 Union Street, any student, undergrad or grad, can use the pantry. They can pick up non-perishable food items, such as canned vegetables, beans and pasta, plus toiletries and fresh fruits and vegetables.

In the fall of 2020, Rutgers has seen about 50 to 70 students a week use the pantry. The school said it hasn't seen a particular increase due to COVID, but there are more students who reported using the pantry in 2019 and 2020 than in prior years, reports the school. That could be because word is getting out about it; the pantry opened in 2016.

The image of a poor college student surviving off pizza and beer makes some chuckle. But hunger among U.S. college students is a growing problem nationwide: Many American college students really do struggle to have enough to eat, particularly students in their junior and senior year who live off campus and don't use a university meal plan.

Then factor in the student debt many young people have taken on just to go to college, plus the struggle to pay rent and maintain a part-time job — or jobs — while obtaining their degree. A study launched by Rutgers-New Brunswick in 2016 found that 36.9 percent of Rutgers’ undergraduate students surveyed and 32.1 percent of graduate students were "food insecure."

While nearly all Rutgers dorms are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are still an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 juniors and seniors who returned to off-campus housing in September. There is also a van, called the mobile food pantry, that delivers boxes of food to students who live off-campus across the river in Piscataway.

About 35-40 students a week have been using the van this fall, said the school.

Some students who live on campus need to use the food pantry, too, reports the school.

Rutgers also provides meal swipe donations and assistance with SNAP enrollment. It also piloted a Student Community Café that serves free lunch to students, as well as a food insecurity “screen and intervene” program conducted through Rutgers Student Health.

The Student Food Pantry now sources its fresh fruits and vegetables directly from the Rutgers Student Farm at Rutgers Gardens, which grows food specifically for food-insecure students.

If you would like to either donate or need to use the food pantry, you can do so here: http://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu...

The Rutgers Student Food Pantry is funded by the Rutgers Board of Trustees, donations from the Rutgers University Student Assembly as well as private donations from alumni, current students and others.

This story is part of Patch's Headlining Hope series, which profiles local non-profits and charitable organizations in need of volunteers and resources. If you know about a local organization that should be profiled, contact Carly.baldwin@patch.com.