Food insecurity for college and graduate students is a growing problem nationwide, and many struggle to stay nourished when they should be focusing on their studies. A semester of reporting on campus food pantry showed one student journalist the power of the press in galvanizing community action.
By Ate’sia Wallace
As students prepare for exams and the upcoming winter break, many are also navigating having enough food on their plates. That makes access to campus resources like the Canes Community Food Pantry at the University of Miami an especially critical outlet during this time of year.
Sherrine Predelus, a Public Relations major, said the demands of final exams often leave little room for grocery planning or meal preparation.
“During finals, I honestly don’t always have the time to go grocery shopping,” Predelus said. “When I can shop, I try to eat very healthy, but when I can’t, I end up eating whatever is most accessible to me at the moment.”
For many students, food insecurity is far from theoretical. One in four undergraduates and one in eight graduate students struggle to get enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs, according to a new paper published by John Hopkins University Press. A Temple University report released earlier this year found that more than 40% of college students experience food insecurity.
Earlier this semester, I went to visit the Canes Community Food Pantry at Lakeside Village. The food pantry was unstaffed and nearly empty, leaving hungry students feeling frustrated. In my first published article as a graduate student in journalism, I detailed the visit in a story that was published on the front page of The Miami Hurricane, UM’s student-run newspaper. The article sparked conversations among students, alumni, faculty and student government offices about how to strengthen the pantry and improve resources for students facing food insecurity.
Since then, efforts have expanded across the University of Miami campus. These include increased staffing, community donations and other new initiatives.
For example, multiple donations have helped stabilize the pantry’s inventory. This included a donation from the Center for Jewish Life at Beth David, which collected about 100 bags of food over the Jewish high holidays and distributed them to UM and to another food pantry at Miami Dade College, according to Paula Xanthopoulou, a member of the Center’s Social Justice Committee.
“We are doing what we can to fight the devastating food insecurity faced by 15% of our Miami-Dade neighbors,” said Xanthopoulou.
Heather Stevens, UM’s Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, said that in addition to that donation, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy makes sandwiches and donates them to the pantry, a program that has happened since Fall 2024. To alleviate food shortages for students and others in the wider UM community, the Office of the Provost and the Employee Resource Groups both ran food drives and provided donations throughout November and December, Stevens said. Additional support has also come from Broward County Canes Community, which has committed to making additional donations throughout the year in coordination with Miami Canes Community.
“The largest positive change for the pantry was the ability to finalize student staffing,” Stevens said. “There is a good team to cover [shifts] and ensure access to food.”
Stevens noted that pantries like UM’s sometimes offer food past their “sell by” dates, but within the time when food is still fit for consumption.
“The pantry is permitted to distribute items past their ‘sell by’ expiration dates under the federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which allows food banks and pantries to provide safe, shelf-stable items beyond labeled dates,” she said.
During my most recent visit, students signed in with their email addresses and were permitted to take up to five items. Student employees were present to answer questions and clarify posted guidelines.
Jennifer Lee, a graduate student I spoke to for my first article reported in September, returned to the pantry in October to see if things had improved.
“I didn’t see any fresh veggies, eggs or dairy but there was pretty much everything else food wise,” she said during her October visit. “I feel much better about this situation. It makes my heart full to see that our efforts have not fallen upon deaf ears.” According to Lee, the pantry’s environment was now better organized, staffed and welcoming. It no longer feels empty and abandoned as students previously described.
“There are community members, students and other organizations that care about the well-being of our students,” said Lee, who is earning a degree in professional science. “I appreciate that they had many options available in addition to a cleared-up space and that the food looked appealing. I believe that the upkeep of a space like this will allow all students to feel accepted at this university.”
The UM Canes Community Food Pantry was created by the ECO agency in 2021 to provide resources for students who may be food insecure and to channel surplus food from grocery stores to campus.
“The general consensus is that we don’t intend to have produce or things that can go bad because it isn’t meant to replace a full grocery store, and we don’t really have the means to keep food fresh,” said Sydney Loebach, Eco Agency’s vice president. “However, we are going to talk a bit more about what kind of healthy options we can offer.”
The attention from the pantry’s earlier shortage has also reached the University of Miami’s Marine Campus. After learning about the conditions and hearing from Lee, who is a student at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, the school’s leadership is exploring the possibility of establishing a food pantry for students in the school’s Virginia Key location. A supervisor at Rosenstiel sought out information from me on how the pantry on the Coral Gables campus operates, and I connected her to the appropriate contacts from the Canes Community Food Pantry. While the supervisor asked not to be named, I can confirm that discussions are underway to assess the feasibility of such a project.
The momentum of awareness continued at the Donna E. Shalala Student Center, where the student government held a meeting on Sept. 10 after I took my initial article and concerns to the group. Campus leaders began exploring ideas to support the pantry’s sustainability. They have since started drafting initiatives to strengthen the pantry.
“One proposal under review is a collaboration with Trader Joe’s to receive imperfect grocery items, though transportation and staffing logistics are still being assessed,” said Student Government President Grady Knox.
Miami is a particularly expensive city to live and dine in, potentially making the issue more acute for students at UM, but the problem is clearly a national one.
A 2024 federal review estimated that 3.8 million undergraduates nationwide were food-insecure. Frontiers in Public Health reported that college students who experience food insecurity often have challenges that are significant enough to reduce their likelihood of graduating by 42%.
In response, many universities have built full-service food support systems that go far beyond a basic pantry. At the University of Texas at San Antonio, the pantry has recorded more than 24,100 shoppers in a single academic year, which is about 800 students per week. UCLA’s Basic Needs Collective operates a grocery-style pantry supported by refrigerated pickup lockers, scheduled produce distributions, and flexible appointment systems that allow students to access food discreetly and on their own time. Oregon State University operates an expanded food resource center that offers fruits, vegetables and frozen meals, all in partnership with regional food banks. OSU also offers cooking classes for students.
These examples demonstrate how campus food programs can evolve into something beneficial and a long-lasting staple to everyone on campus. Universities need well-stocked, well-staffed resources that address not only hunger but also the broader financial pressures students face as college costs continue to rise.
During my visit to the pantry during finals, students found shelves that were once bare now stocked with bread, handmade sandwiches, pastas, canned goods, microwaveable meals, snacks and even vegetables.
“Christmas came early,” said one student with a big smile as he entered the fully stocked pantry.
The improvements made from the first story illustrate the impact of advocacy and the power of the press. The Canes Community Food Pantry is doing better, but its future depends on continued action.
