March 28, 2022 - Harrisburg, PA
First Lady Frances Wolf joined Senate Democratic Appropriations Chairman Vincent Hughes, Senator Carolyn Comitta, House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton, Representative Jennifer O'Mara, college students and advocates to call for action to address food insecurity on Pennsylvania's college campuses."College should not be a privilege reserved for individuals with disposable incomes, and hunger should never be what holds someone back from succeeding in higher education," said First Lady Wolf. "And yet, national studies estimate that over 30 percent of college students are food insecure. We must do all we can to support our students as they pursue futures that can benefit all of Pennsylvania."In his 2022-23 budget proposal, Governor Tom Wolf allocated $1 million to create a grant program that could help Pennsylvania's institutions of higher education address this issue on their campuses. This program could help schools create or expand campus food pantries, increase outreach about available supports, hire social workers or benefits navigators to assist students, improve data gathering efforts, and more. The details of the program are still being developed, but it is inspired by the Hunger-Free Campus bills that Sen. Comitta and Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta have proposed in recent years.
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