"SNAP is not only just food being put on the table. It's stability for the future. When Steven Gray's family first received their monthly EBT allowance, the trips to Costco were life-saving. Gray said that when he was growing up in South Brooklyn and struggling with food insecurity, running out of funds often meant scrambling to make money with their siblings to help their parents afford groceries."
"We shouldn't be waving around SNAP benefits and other social benefits as political bargaining chips. At midnight on October 1, as President Donald Trump's administration fought to withhold funding for the nation's largest anti-hunger program, the chaos and uncertainty around the program led Gray, one of the more than 3 million college students eligible for SNAP, uncertain of their next meal."
"The temporary pause on SNAP benefits during the government shutdown only exacerbated the larger food insecurity crisis among college students, especially in New York City. In 2019, nearly 50 percent of students in the City University of New York system were reportedly food insecure. Food costs have risen more than 30 percent."
College students face severe food insecurity, with nearly 50 percent of City University of New York students experiencing food insecurity in 2019. SNAP benefits provide critical stability for eligible students, yet political uncertainty around the program creates instability. Steven Gray's experience demonstrates how SNAP enables students to afford groceries and plan for their futures. A temporary pause on SNAP benefits during government shutdown worsened the crisis. Rising food costs compound the problem. The new mayoral administration proposes city-owned grocery stores and affordability initiatives to confront this widespread food crisis among students, offering potential solutions to systemic hunger challenges.
Read at The Nation
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