College is a place where you truly discover who you are. When you get your acceptance letter, everyone bombards you with their own "advice" that will help you survive your collegiate years. "Make sure to always go to your professor's office hours." "Don't forget to set alarms on your phone that remind you when your assignments are due."
What no one tells you is that life outside of your studies is difficult. My freshman year of college, I was living at Chapultepec Hall. I shared a room with one other person and had the Flex 7 meal plan. At the time, I was working 30+ hours a week so I could pay my rent. ($1450). I was constantly stressed because I had to juggle work, school and my lack of a social life. I could handle everything but what I couldn't handle was being hungry. When I didn't have food, I would turn to my parents for money but I felt guilty because they worked so hard to get me to SDSU and they had other things to worry about.
As my years in college progressed, I found myself in the same situation. No matter how hard I worked or how many hours I would accumulate, eventually my FAFSA would run out and I would be living paycheck to paycheck. On average, each of my paychecks would come out to approximately $300. For me, it was nearly impossible to live on only $600 a month and pay my rent, utilities, other bills and weekly expenses. This forced me to prioritize other things over food. I began to rely on the kindness of my sisters and friends and the support from my family.
Food insecurity is a common problem among college students. According to a study conducted by the University of California system, approximately 25 percent of undergraduate students enrolled across all nine UC campuses reportedly skipped meals to save money. A similar study is being conducted by California State University Long Beach that will look at food insecurity among college students enrolled at a California State University.
SDSU has come up with a program to combat food insecurity. According to the Associated Students website, "The A.S. Mobile Food Pantry provides nutritious food and food program referral services for SDSU students experiencing food insecurity. " Every Thursday at the Farmer's Market, the A.S. Mobile Food Pantry is literally giving food away to students for free.
When you walk up to the table at the Farmer's Market, you are first greeted by a volunteer that explains to you, in depth, what the program is and how it benefits students. You then provide them with your SDSU Red ID number and they, in exchange, give you a bag. There are multiple tables at the booth that are filled with a plethora of food items including: fruit, vegetables, canned products (vegetables, fruit, ravioli, etc.), pasta, rice, cereal, and other items that change weekly depending on donations from local food banks.
Stop by and visit the A.S. Mobile Food Pantry booth every Thursday at the SDSU Farmers’ Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to pick up some food!
