Graduate School and Food Insecurity

This post is really about my new understanding of food insecurity. Of the four institutions, I have worked at and been a student, Michigan State University has by far the best food pantry students could ask for. Growing up my family experienced food insecurity in different ways. We participated in and benefitted from programs such as food stamps, WIC, and EBT (all the same, I know). Anyhow, as a migrant farmworker, I grew up with messages such as "we were poor, which meant we probably did not eat well, which also meant we were not educated" (just some labels I internalized growing up). Therefore, I learned that food pantries were for poor, uneducated people.

After years of reconciling with the labels I grew up to hate, I have come to accept my past as a form of education and awareness. In my first year of graduate school, I learned that students may qualify for food stamps (WOAH, my mind was blown! side note: I learned this from the students I worked with). Therefore, when I decided to go back to school, I knew I wanted to explore all the ways in which I would be able to save money and make smart decisions. After a few months of living on a graduate student stipend and trying to keep up with the eating habits I created when I was a working professional, I realized I could not do that without some assistance. I applied for food stamps and qualified for $15 a month for groceries. I know what you are thinking, "That is not enough for a week of groceries" or "Food stamps is only for poor people".  One thing we often forget to realize is that college students are poor and need help, especially with the rising costs of higher education. With these $15, I decided to participate with MSU's food pantry. (Ya'll, the amount of food that we are able to receive through this program is insane!)

First, the food pantry is open every two weeks (I believe) or twice a month.

Second, to participate, you must be an enrolled student at MSU. Just bring your ID and academic schedule.

Third, they have standard products everyone has access to, and you get to choose how many of each you would like or would like to pass on. There is a standard number for each product we can take.

Fourth, there is a selection of fresh produce, bread, dairy, and other items you can select from on a first-come, first-serve basis.

My first experience with the process was overwhelming. Food insecurity is the limited access to nutritious and safe foods and the uncertainty of being able to acquire food (Nord & Prell, 2007). Surely, I did not experience food insecurity, or so I thought. My assumption was that because I had experience working full time and had a "job" then I would never experience food insecurity. After learning more about food insecurity, I came to understand how I, in fact, did not have access to good food because there were a few items I could not afford food, or there were moments where I would try to save money by eating everything in my cabinet first before going shopping even if that meant eating a can of beans for dinner (which I love doing, I love beans!). But is that healthy eating I thought? I dug deeper in my understanding of food insecurity and realized that my experience with food insecurity was similar to that of growing up. We did not have access to most healthy foods and we also had moments of "Let's see what's in the kitchen for dinner - ramen it is!" (We loved ramen growing up! But who doesn't?!). Food insecurity was that too - easy, quick, and inexpensive! So even though we might have had food in our kitchen, it was not the most healthy, and what's even more unfortunate is that these governmental food assistance programs only cover the most basic, often times unhealthy food options.

So, with a campus food pantry that had access to some healthy options, I decided to share my new found appreciation and understanding of the food pantry with my other graduate friends who were in the same boat as me - trying to save money, trying to eat healthy, and trying to meal prep. I say, if you are considering going back to school and are worried about maintaining a healthy eating lifestyle, consider if the school you intend on applying to has an accessible food pantry and look into governmental food assistance programs. I get my most basic needs with food stamps (which I may discontinue in the future - another conversation) and supplement it with what I get at the food pantry.

Below is a picture of one night's collection at the food pantry. Milk, apple juice, a WHOLE dozen of eggs (side note: I almost cried at the thought of being able to take a full carton of eggs home, I think the student staff might have thought I was overreacting, but this was my first time too), MSU Dairy Cheese (the best!), beans, corn, a can of Rotel (made me some mean cabbage soup with it #noms), chicken noodle soup (which I supplemented with a grilled cheese sandwich), peanut butter (which I ate with bananas, apples, and overnight oatmeal), raisins, peaches, applesauce, snack bars, Ritz crackers, and Oreos (mind you, we do not need to get all of this). I would have left the cookies and ritz crackers, but I also like to be considerate of my sweet tooth and snack tooth. I do not believe in diets, so I tend to have my sodium and sugars in moderation. But as you can see, I can supplement this with some spinach, rice, and protein, like chicken.

I share this story (1) to be honest about my own experiences with food insecurity and (2) to humanize the experience of food pantries and food assistance programs. It is my strong believe that there are communities out there, specifically communities of color and poor families, who need access to programs like these while at the same time deserve access to healthy food options. So my question to you is: Have you experienced food insecurity growing up, as a student, and/or as a professional?