The Campus Hunger Project Podcast

Jim McGovern is the Congressman of the 2nd Congressional District of Massachusetts. He has continuously pushed for legislation to fight to end food insecurity on college campuses, locally within cities, national in the US, and internationally. He serves as the Chair of the House Rules Committee as well as the Co-Chair of the House Hunger Caucus. For our third bonus episode, McGovern shares his experiences within politics, what is needed to help face hunger, and how he sees the crisis of hunger ending.

Frances Wolf is the First Lady of Pennsylvania. She has worked tirelessly to fight to end food insecurity on college campuses throughout the state she represents. For our second bonus episode, Wolf shares her experiences with talking to people, advocating for the cause, and where she sees legislation going in the future.

David Koppisch is the Associate Director of Community Engagement for the Hope Center for College Community and Justice. The organization researches and advocates around the issue of food insecurity on college campuses. For our first bonus episode, Koppisch discusses what is happening on college campuses, where we can go from here, and whether or not there is "hope" for an end to campus food insecurity.

Food insecurity can come in many different shapes and sizes. One group of people that is often forgotten are Indigenous Tribes in Indian Country. Indigenous Tribes have been especially hit during the pandemic, and policy applications are not helping. Today, we talked to Joel.

Food banks play an integral role in fighting food insecurity. During the pandemic, though, their importance has only risen. Food banks have had to revamp their systems to help out more people as COVID-19 has escalated the number of people who need access to food. Today, we talked to Devin.

Food pantries are great. They help students immediately with food when they do not have the support or resources. That said, it’s not long term support. Food insecurity solutions need to head in a better direction to solve the solution from the get-go. Food pantries can also provide other basic needs resources. The response needs to extend further. Today, we talked to Charlotte.

Food insecurity can come into play in many forms, such as the way classes take up time and energy in different ways for people. This then affects the availability for jobs, meal prep, shopping, and just social life in general. Today, we talked to Peter.

School counselors or an advisor can help, even just by saying the right thing. Juggling academics and life can be tricky, but it all comes down to whether or not you can eat. Today, we talked to Chris.

Research both through fellowships and on your own can truly shine a light as to who is most affected by food insecurity and what changes need to be made. This is especially important since the onset of COVID-19. Today, we talked to Max.

The pandemic has created new needs for food delivery and access, especially for seniors and those who are immunocompromised. Inventive students have found solutions, like creating a new organization called Deliver Together to distribute food in New Jersey. Today, we talked to Maurice.

Looking at the system at different levels allows for us to tackle the issue of food insecurity in different ways. Things have changed for college students, yet the policies haven’t caught up. There needs to be more than one solution. One option to solving food insecurity is not going to be enough for everyone. Today, we talked to Rebecca.

People may be private about their situations but that doesn’t mean college campuses cannot have solutions for them. Social media and word of mouth can spread the message and advocacy. Today, we talked to Sarah.

The pandemic makes tackling food insecurity harder. Students who had plans to fight food insecurity on their campuses are now having to rethink their initiatives, but, contrarily, even more students are struggling to find food these days. Today, we talked to Rebecca.

Having an impact on campus also means reaching out to those outside of your classes and even college. Local officials are an integral part to creating legislation that can affect students throughout their struggle with food insecurity during college. Today, we talked to Natalie.

Food insecurity is somewhat hidden in society. College students are thought of as always having money. That is not always the case. We need to peel back the layers to find a true solution. Today, we talk to Ava.

Stories that are often left marginalized or unheard/untold are the ones that can really make a difference. Marketing tools, specifically videos and interviews can pave a way for more empathy from the viewer. Technology like this allows for people to tell their own stories and hold advocates and policy makers accountable. Today, we talked to Priyanka.

Research around food insecurity is greatly important to understand what students are going through. Looking at food pantries specifically, we get to see what students need and what help they still are not receiving. Today, we talked to Elmira.

Colleges have historically changed, but resources have not. Students need more help. There’s not just one solution though. Universities need surveys to recognize what is happening on their campuses, and to listen to students’ input. Statistics can shape the way colleges face food insecurity. Today, we talked to Katie.

A key to understanding food insecurity and finding an end of the issue, people need to talk about it. Food insecurity is rampant, yet not everyone knows it exists. Without knowledge, there cannot be a solution. Today, we talked to Nicole.

Resources may be available on campus, but they don’t help students unless they actually know about them or have proper access to them. Awareness is one step to fixing the issue of food insecurity. Today, we talked to Elan.