Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/776907
At the time, Tidwell says, there was not much support from the administration. "But these students got the discussion started, got the committees formed, made contact with community organiza- tions, and paved the way for [Alvarez's] ultimate success." Short-term solutions? Perhaps one of the strongest and most extensive hunger assis- tance programs is at Humboldt State University (HSU), where a student-driven initiative aims to provide fellow students with basic necessities and connections to community resources. A partner- ship between the HSU Department of Social Work and HSU Health Education, the Oh SNAP! program offers a food pantry, a campus farm stand, assistance with CalFresh, cooking classes, and a shuttle to downtown Arcata grocery stores, and works with campus dining to provide food items that have not been consumed. Students can even download an app to find out when and where fresh produce and perishable items are available to them. The program also offers ways for students to become involved in advocacy and gain academic credit for research projects. Last year, 8,000 students took advantage of the services, accord- ing to Mira Friedman, HSU health educator with Oh SNAP! One of those students is Sonya Navarro, an education major who also serves on the Student CTA Executive Board. Navarro works 15 hours a week for Oh SNAP! and regularly uses the food pantry, where she is allowed to pick up seven items at a time. "I attended Santa Monica College and UC Santa Barbara before coming here, and we certainly didn't have anything like this there," Navarro says. "Living so far away from home, it's been a struggle to pay rent and eat sometimes." On the heels of the CSU study, Gov. Brown in September signed AB 1747, the College Student Hunger Relief Act of 2016, by Assem- bly Member Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), requiring that California higher education institutions apply to participate in local food assistance programs. It also establishes funding accounts for college food pantries as part of the state's Emergency Food Assistance Program. While responses to food insecurity by both CSU and local community colleges are commendable and substantial, faculty worry about what the future has in store for their students. "I think food pantries are short-term responses, and I have a fear they may become long-term solu- tions," says Jennifer Maguire, HSU assistant professor of social work and CFA member, who helped implement the Oh SNAP! program. "I worry that we will depend on them rather than deal with the real problems." Above left, Taft College history professor Jennifer Altenhofel flanked by student workers Alexandra Benevidez and Christian Hoffman in the campus's new food pantry. Taft used state Student Equity Funds to open its food and clothing resource center. H U N G R Y S T U D E N T S 36 cta.org Jennifer Maguire