Food insecurity refers to the lack of access to enough food or limited and uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate food.  Lack of nutritious food can be detrimental to the success of our students Financial hardship can be distracting and can compromise students’ ability to perform well in class. 

Research

According to Feed American, Map the Meal Gap 2019, over 573 of Mississippi households are food insecure and other studies show that the rate of food insecuirty among college students is several times higher than among the general population.

Additionally, the 2016 report, Hunger on Campus: The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College Students, food insecurity is a problem even for students who are employed, participate in a campus meal plan, or seek other financial or material help:

• Fifty-six percent of food insecure students reported having a paying job.
• Being enrolled in a meal plan with a campus with a campus dining hall does not eliminate the threat of food insecurity.
• Three in four food insecure students receive some form of financial aid, yet it regularly falls short to meet most sudents' needs.