Food pantries on the rise at US college campuses
STONY BROOK, N.Y. (AP) — Days after biology major Gillian Carll arrived at Stony Brook University last fall, she encountered a young woman on a bench outside her dormitory who said she had nothing to eat.
"I was just like, 'Oh, my gosh!' I didn't know kids could afford to go here but couldn't have mac and cheese or something like that," said the Livonia, N.Y., freshman. "It was kind of unbelievable."
Carll got the student some food from her dorm room and later volunteered at Stony Brook's new food pantry — one of dozens cropping up at colleges across the country in recent years as educators acknowledge the struggles many students face as the cost of getting a higher education continues to soar.
"The perception is of college students that if you are able to go to college and you have an opportunity to go to college, you're part of the haves of this country, not part of the have-nots," said Beth McGuire-Fredericks, assistant director for college housing at the Stony Brook campus on eastern Long Island and a co-founder of the pantry.
full: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/food-pantries-rise-us-college-campuses
In this photo taken on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, at Stony Brook University, students Ruby Escalera-Nater and Will Addison fill a bag of food to give to guests at the college's recently opened food pantry. Officials say there are a growing number of food pantries opening on college campuses across the country to assist students contending with rising education costs.(AP Photo/Frank Eltman)
= new reply since forum marked as read
