When Nelson Tirado III was a student at the State University of New York College at Buffalo, his financial aid helped with tuition, but it wasn’t always enough to cover a meal plan. Some days, Tirado didn’t get enough food to eat.

Tirado said as a man of color, feeling unable to provide for himself took a toll on his pride and self-esteem. His mental health suffered as well.

“In my sophomore year in college, it came down to a point of suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts,” Tirado said. “And I wanted to jump from a bridge in the back of our campus … from my perspective, it takes your manhood, it takes your ability to understand that you can succeed even through your challenges. It takes away everything from you.”

Tirado, who graduated in 2015 and now works at Onondaga Community College, is just one of many college students and graduates across the country who have faced food insecurity.

Food insecurity is defined as “the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food,” according to a 2016 study published by advocacy groups including the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness.

The study — a survey of about 3,800 students at 34 colleges in the United States, including Syracuse University — concluded that 40 percent of white student respondents had recently experienced food insecurity, while the figure was even higher for black students, at 57 percent.

“There is a racial injustice going on … in terms of who is receiving equity in terms of food security and job security,” Tirado said.

Frank Vernon, an affiliate scholar with the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, said this racial disparity generally holds true across studies on food insecurity among college students. Being hungry in class can make it harder for students to concentrate and learn, Vernon said, which can jeopardize students’ grades and chances of graduation.

At SU during the 2016-17 academic year, about 400 students used the campus food pantry in Hendricks Chapel, said Ginny Yerdon, who has run the pantry since it was created in fall 2013. By the beginning of October 2017, more than 150 students had already signed up for weekly access.

“The need has grown,” Yerdon said. “I’m sensing (there are) more students, or more awareness … maybe more just are familiar with it and are spreading the word.”

Other campus groups, such as the local chapter of the New York Public Interest Research Group, also work to combat food insecurity on campus.

Ethan Thompson, the group’s project coordinator, said this month NYPIRG teamed up with Food Recovery Network, which salvages unused food from campus dining halls, to host a free breakfast for all students.

The group is also planning “Trick or Eat,” a food drive where NYPIRG will collect nonperishables in residence halls and other buildings for the campus food pantry and the Syracuse City School District, Thompson said.

Only 17 percent of respondents who faced food insecurity said they had gone to an on-campus food pantry, according to the 2016 study.

“When a student comes into the pantry, it’s not saying that they don’t have any food at all,” Yerdon said. “And that’s kind of a misnomer for a lot of students. They think, ‘well, I’m not really deserving, because I have stuff in my house, I can eat.’”

To lessen the burden, SU’s food pantry does not require a student demonstrate a certain level of financial need before giving them access to the pantry.

Yerdon added that students are sometimes embarrassed to use the food pantry because of the social stigma associated with accepting free food.

“If (universities) have food pantries, make them seem as normal a part of the everyday fabric of the university as possible and not some sort of special charity case,” Vernon said.

But Yerdon said there is no budget for the pantry. Last week it had a large supply of peanut butter and rice, but this week it has none, she said.

Yerdon said she tries to compensate for weekly fluctuations in supply by using cash donations to purchase staples in bulk. But she said she is still looking for a steady stream of revenue and donations for the pantry.

Tianna Dyke, a senior biology major at SU, said while she doesn’t typically have trouble getting the amount and kinds of food she needs, food is still expensive for her as a student.

“I think we should have a meal plan where you can go shopping at the supermarket,” Dyke said. “That would make it easier.”

With the help of campus organizations that provided him with food atBuffalo State College, Nelson Tirado graduated with a degree in writing.

Now at OCC, he works with the Community Care Hub, which runs the campus food pantry.

He said his past helps him connect with students who are experiencing food insecurity.

“I try to be more of a guide, more of a leader to them — to inspire them to understand that it’s OK to ask, it’s OK to receive,” Tirado said.

Published on October 17, 2017 at 10:24 pm

Contact Madeleine: mdavison@syr.edu