Hungry for a Higher Education: A Case Study on Undergraduate Student Experiences with a Campus Food Pantry

Abstract

Food insecurity is a problem that significantly impacts student success and well-being. Nationally, household food insecurity is 12.3% while in the California State University (CSU) system, college food insecurity is 41.6% , making food insecurity in the CSU over three times the amount of the national household food insecurity rate. The most common approach to combat food insecurity is to establish a food pantry . However, as campuses are being tasked to address food insecurity through campus food pantry efforts, there is not enough literature on college food pantries to support their endeavors.

This case study research at one CSU, referred to as the CSU Pantry, is intended to better serve students by understanding what is effective and could be improved about food pantries in higher education institutions. Bandura’s Triadic Reciprocal Causation of personal, behavioral, and environmental factors guides this research in holistically understanding the process of using a campus food pantry from start to finish. Findings from this study provide an illustration of the students’ experiences from feelings before visiting a pantry (e.g., vulnerable to free food: “why wouldn’t you go?”), going to the pantry (e.g., going with someone else or going alone), interaction with pantry workers (e.g., positive interactions and constructive feedback on workers), and lastly leaving the pantry (e.g., commuter versus living on campus, not just for “poor” students, and campus cares). Through implications and recommendations for practice, policy, and research, it is the hope to learn more about the student experience to then enhance the services offered in a campus food pantry.