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

Nov The University of Minnesota noted it will offer one free meal a day for students workers and faculty who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Effort SNAP benefits amid uncertainty about activity funding during the federal executive shutdown The school s announcement Monday came as the Trump administration noted SNAP otherwise known as food stamps will be partially funded for November after two federal judges explained crisis funds must be tapped for the initiative 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 facts 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 undertaking statewide Multiple students also visit campus food shelves an even more pivotal 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 residents robustness at Boynton Physical condition the university s medical arrangement 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 stated Matt Tveter Boynton s assistant director of marketing and communications Normandale Society College has a Campus Cupboard that provides free food five days a week Without full SNAP benefits revealed Paige Wheeler lead coordinator of Normandale s basic necessities operation food shelves already over maximum maximum 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 complicated position Wheeler added If they cannot pay tuition and owe the school money several may decide to drop out It will have a ripple effect she reported The post U of M offers free meals to SNAP recipients amid uncertainty over campaign funding appeared first on MinnPost