By Andrew Kerley, VCU Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. — Before leaving Hampton Roads for college, Anje Mixon received SNAP benefits and free or reduced-priced lunch through school.
Mixon studies accounting at Virginia Commonwealth University, with support from a Pell Grant and work-study job as manager of the Ram Pantry. Students can shop at the pantry once a week for free food, toiletries and even baby formula. Mixon occasionally uses it herself.
Many people don’t understand the spectrum of food insecurity and think it just means going without food, according to Mixon.
“Food insecurity can literally mean you’re having the same food every single night,” Mixon said. “Us college students eating Oodles of Noodles every single day, that’s food insecurity.
Two state lawmakers have bills moving through the General Assembly that would create a grant program to formalize state support for existing and new food pantry programs.
Sen. Danica Roem, D-Manassas, introduced Senate Bill 1016, or the Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program. Del. Rae Cousins, D-Richmond, sponsored the near-identical House Bill 2240.
Each bill made it out of its respective chambers, with amendments. The Senate on Thursday approved $500,000 state funding for the grant program in its proposed budget.
Food insecurity is a broadly recognized problem, according to a 2024 study by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Half of respondents said food insecurity is “somewhat problematic” at their institution, while almost a third said it was “very problematic.”
There are food pantries at 91% of the Virginia colleges and universities that responded to the SCHEV survey. However, they are primarily funded through donations or with light support from the universities.
The Ram Pantry is mostly funded through grants and donations from community partners, with some support from VCU Business Services, according to VCU Student Affairs. Student use of the pantry has increased every year since it first opened.
There is uncertainty about the pantry and its workers, most who have Federal Work-Study positions, because of President Donald Trump’s efforts to pause federal funding, according to Mixon.
“Not only will we miss out on being able to provide for different Ram families, a lot of students will be out of the job as well,” Mixon said.
A grant program managed by SCHEV is a more reliable source of funding and will help stock pantries with a wider variety of goods to meet students’ nutritional and dietary needs, advocates of the bill said at a press conference on Jan. 29.
Roem and Cousins have both previously introduced legislation to combat the issue. Last year, the General Assembly voted to create the SCHEV study.
Many students do not come from households with two parents who pay their way through college, Roem said at the press conference.
“A lot of people who go to college have kids themselves that they take care of,” Roem said. “They have family members who they’re taking care of.”
The bill is also an opportunity for Virginia to lead the way in a time of uncertainty with the federal government, according to Roem.
John Jones is an assistant professor who works at the Center for Environmental Studies at VCU, and is also the Ram Pantry faculty adviser. Jones, who has researched food security and urban food systems, said students need food to focus on their studies.
People need a broader selection that includes nutritional food and accounts for allergies, dietary needs and religious needs, according to Jones. It is especially a challenge for immigrants, who must adapt to the American food system. Students also need food they have the equipment to prepare, he said.
The grant program will help universities stock up on food that best meets student needs, according to Jones.
The measures had bipartisan support from lawmakers and the Virginia Commission to End Hunger, as well as advocacy groups like the Virginia Food Access Coalition and the Virginia Agribusiness Council.
Both bills would require SCHEV to submit a report in 2026, on grants received and distributed, and the impact on food insecurity.