Seeking to End Hunger Among College Students

College students have many stressors — heavy course loads, jobs and work study, high costs of tuition and student housing, and mounting student loan debt. But for millions of college students, there is an even greater threat to their well-being and academic success: hunger. Food pantries provide temporary assistance on hundreds of college campuses across the country, but this signals a larger systemic issue that must be addressed by policymakers.

By the numbers:
About 1 in 3

college students faces hunger, with disproportionately higher rates among Black, Indigenous, and other students of color.

Over 40%

of undergraduate students come from families who qualify for SNAP but often are not eligible for nutrition benefits once they start school.

Nearly 40%

of students at two-year institutions face food insecurity.

Nearly 30%

of students at 4-year colleges and universities face food insecurity.

Challah for Hunger

Since 2004, Challah for Hunger chapters across the country have brought people together around the Jewish tradition of baking challah, donating the proceeds of sales to the fight to end hunger locally and nationally.

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Take Action

Urge Congress to Support College Students Facing Hunger

Join MAZON in urging your Members of Congress to support legislation that would improve access to federal nutrition programs like SNAP for college students.

Take Action Now
Hungry College Students Need Help (New York Times)

Re “A Food Pantry That Keeps Hunger at Bay for Needy College Students,” by James Barron (New York Today newsletter, nytimes.com, Aug. 14) Read more.

MAZON Absorbs ‘Challah for Hunger’ Program

As of August 2023, MAZON is the new home of Challah for Hunger, which for over 19 years has engaged college students around the country in the Jewish tradition of baking challah to build community and raise funds to fight hunger locally and nationally. Read more.

College Hunger Visibility: Opportunities for Permanent Change in the 2023 Farm Bill

Food insecurity, or the lack of consistent, accessible, and adequate food, impacts an alarming number of college students- at a rate far higher than across all U.S. households. Furthermore, the rates of food insecurity experienced by first-generation students, students of color and community college/two-year college students are even more shocking. Read more.