Detroit Free Press: Broke college students turning to food banks for help

Parents Forum
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<p>Posted in College Life and Parents Forum.</p>

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They aren't places where you'd expect to find food pantries, available to help those people stretching to make ends meet.</p>

<p>But at Michigan State University, there has been a 25% increase since 2008 in the number of students who visit its student-run food bank. Grand Valley State University opened a food pantry in April to help students as they struggle with higher tuition costs and families beset by layoffs and unemployment.</p>

<p>"I'm paying for all my schooling and I'm working, and this really helps," said Lena Runestad, 22, an MSU senior from Swartz Creek who is studying finance. "It supplements healthier food options that I otherwise couldn't afford....</p>

<p>College campuses aren't places where you expect to find a food bank. But students are turning to college-sponsored food banks for help because of ever-increasing tuition costs, the loss of financial aid programs like the Michigan Promise scholarship and financial support from home being cut-off or diminished because parents have lost jobs.

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<p>College</a> food banks step up for students struggling to pay bills | freep.com | Detroit Free Press</p>

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<p>I go to Michigan State University. Michigan students have been very hard as we were forced to come up with an extra $1k this year after the loss of the Michigan promise scholarship (in November??) while many of us have at least one parent out of work. This does not surprise me in the least.</p>

<p>ETA: In addition, we also have work-study students who can’t find jobs because there are none left, let alone jobs for non-WS people and there are very, VERY few jobs around campus because of the economy.</p>

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<p>"were forced to come up with an extra $1k this year after the loss of the Michigan promise scholarship "</p>

<p>*2k for older students.</p>

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<p>^ True. Sorry, I was thinking for us lower classmen.</p>

<p>Oh, and we also lost the Michigan competitive scholarship (although we had part of that restored second semester).</p>