Rep. Judy Chu and CALPIRG Students’ Miriam Nunez pen op-ed on campus hunger
For today's young people, earning a college degree is hard enough without worrying where their next meal will come from.
For today’s young people, earning a college degree is hard enough without worrying where their next meal will come from.
Yet that’s the reality faced by 1 in 5 college students who report not having enough food to eat on a regular basis—including Miriam Nunez, a UCLA student who volunteers with CALPIRG Students. Miriam joined U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (Calif.) to author a May 9 op-ed on the issue in the online magazine Bustle.
“[L]ast quarter, Miriam could not afford a meal plan,” began the op-ed. “Unable to purchase food on campus and left with a campus food pantry that was not always stocked, she went to class hungry and sometimes struggled to focus. For her, the hardest part was knowing how much dining hall food was going uneaten. This is the hidden reality of hunger on campus.”
In a country that produces more than enough food for everyone, no one should go hungry. With the support of CALPIRG Students, the UCLA Undergraduate Student Associated Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on the university to achieve zero student hunger by 2025.
Photo: One in 5 college students in the U.S. report not having enough food to eat on a regular basis. Photo Credit: Africa Studio via Shutterstock
