Food pantries on college campuses across Virginia are seeing record demand after recent disruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s biggest food aid program.
Nearly 8,000 community college students in Virginia received SNAP benefits during the 2021–22 academic year, according to the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia, and thousands more are eligible.
Rachel Strawn, coordinator of student support networks with the Virginia Community College System, said nearly all of the state’s community colleges have set up their own food pantries over the last five years — and the few that haven’t are thinking of doing so…