U of M offers free meals to SNAP recipients amid uncertainty over program funding

Nov The University of Minnesota commented it will offer one free meal a day for students workers and faculty who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Undertaking SNAP benefits amid uncertainty about project funding during the federal ruling body shutdown The school s announcement Monday came as the Trump administration stated SNAP otherwise known as food stamps will be partially funded for November after two federal judges revealed crisis funds must be tapped for the campaign When these payments will be distributed however remains uncertain More than Minnesota college students were enrolled in SNAP as of December including nearly in Hennepin County according to details from the state s Department of Children Youth and Families More Black students received SNAP benefits than any other racial group in Hennepin County despite more white students using the scheme statewide Plenty of students also visit campus food shelves an even more central option now with pending SNAP funding up in the air Of the hundreds of students who visit the University of Minnesota s Nutritious U Food Pantry weekly roughly are Black Indigenous and people of color according to Michelle Trumpy the director of constituents strength at Boynton Fitness the university s wellness utility More than half of the pantry s visitors are graduate or professional students and around are first-generation students Roughly one in four students at the university experienced food insecurity in Trumpy added We re doing everything we can to make sure our students have access to fresh and healthy food and so they can focus on their studies reported Matt Tveter Boynton s assistant director of marketing and communications Normandale Region College has a Campus Cupboard that provides free food five days a week Without full SNAP benefits declared Paige Wheeler lead coordinator of Normandale s basic necessities amenity food shelves already over maximum threshold are under increased pressure The tools we have are not enough to deal with this bigger system that doesn t work perfectly and has a lot of inequities Wheeler explained She added Obviously students are very stressed Their families are very stressed Spending extra money on food and ignoring other expenses puts students in a intricate position Wheeler added If they cannot pay tuition and owe the school money selected may decide to drop out It will have a ripple effect she disclosed The post U of M offers free meals to SNAP recipients amid uncertainty over scheme funding appeared first on MinnPost