Food insecurity among students is higher than the national average according to the Nutrition Policy Institute. Twenty to 50 percent of students suffer from food insecurity compared to the national average of 13 to 14 percent.

Chico State professor Kathleen Moroney attempted to meet these students needs by opening the Wildcat Pantry back in 2013. The pantry serves all students and is located in her office. Where books once filled her bookshelf has now been replaced with food items.

When food insecurity affects almost half of the student population, it’s strange the university hasn’t provided the Wildcat Pantry with an actual office or a hired staff to work the pantry.

Chico State does not support the Hungry Wildcat Pantry enough which makes it seem as if they do not care about students who are struggling to survive.

Becoming a Hispanic Serving Institute was a huge milestone for the university. An email was sent out to all students and staff reminding us all yet again of their attempts to become a more inclusive institution.

Other than a link in the student announcements, I have never received an email from the university reminding hungry students where they can find food.

Diverse communities have higher percentages of food insecurity than the U.S population as a whole, according to the Journal of College and Character.

As the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development stated in article Barriers to Success, financial stress, lowers academic performance and student retention.

Although the Wildcat Pantry has started to receive some help from the university including the support of AS dining, Calfresh sign-ups help and veggie bucks to the student farm. This program is still run on a volunteer basis and most of the volunteers are full-time professors who do this on their spare time.

Nicte Hernandez can be reached at [email protected] or @NicteHernandez4 on Twitter.