New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo will introduce legislation this year that would require all State University and City University of New York system schools to establish food pantries or other “stigma-free” arrangements for food-insecure students to have access to food.
On December 28, Gov. Cuomo’s office unveiled his “No Student Goes Hungry” program, as part of a series of proposals leading up to his 2018 State of the State address held on Wednesday. The “comprehensive” food security initiative will provide “students of all ages, backgrounds and financial situations access to healthy, locally-sourced meals from kindergarten through college.”
“No child should ever go hungry, and by launching the No Student Goes Hungry Program, New York will ensure hundreds of thousands of students of all ages will receive access to free and reduced-price meals, Cuomo said in a statement. “This program is essential to the success of future New York leaders and this administration remains committed to removing barriers to healthy food options, while providing a supportive, effective learning environment for students across this great state.”
Currently, the governor’s office says that only half of public state campuses have a food pantry in place. If the legislation passes, New York State will be the first state that requires all public campuses to have a physical food pantry or other “stigma-free” arrangements for students to receive food such as through partnerships with outside food banks, for example. Cuomo has proposed a $1 million state investment for SUNY and CUNY institutions to create a food pantry on their respective campuses.
Public health and food security advocates welcome the governor’s plan as a first step to eradicating hunger for student across the state. Research shows that food insecurity is associated with lower grades, higher rates of absenteeism, low retention rates and hinders a students’ ability to focus. Further, a “Hunger on Campus” report found that 55 percent of respondents that were affected by food insecurity did not have the means to buy a textbook.
“It is commonsense that being hungry or malnourished makes it difficult to learn – we know this is true in elementary school and it remains true in college,” said Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of Higher Education Policy and Sociology at Temple University.
Goldrick-Rab said that she is glad that Cuomo has recognized food insecurity as an issue and has proposed creating food pantries as an initial start to address the problem. However, she warns that food pantries are “stopgap measures – band aids – not solutions” entirely.
