Volunteer group works to fight Fort Lewis College students’ hunger

Fort Lewis College is among more than 200 colleges and universities across the country that have opened food pantries and other services for students who can’t afford to feed themselves.

“Anywhere from 14 to 59 percent of students are experiencing food insecurity on campuses,” said Kristina Kahl, visiting professor in FLC Sociology Department. “And it’s happening at a broad range of schools, from Ivy League to research schools, rural colleges and community colleges. In 2014, the University of California system, which has about 390,000 students, invested $100,000 for research on food insecurity on their campuses.”

The problem is increasing because of three factors, Kahl said.

“There’s a higher cost to go to college overall, with rising tuition, books, living expenses, everything,” she said. “At the same time, state and federal funding have dropped overall, so there’s a downward shift in funding to help. And with the shrinking middle class, it’s not just an issue for minority students – although there are very real struggles going on with minorities and nontraditional students – but families can’t help as much as they used to.”

And it’s hard to study when you’re hungry.

Locally, FLC students in 2011 opened the Grub Hub food pantry, and it is expanding its services to provide hot meals twice a week. Southwest Colorado Community College has opened food pantries at its locations in Durango and Mancos, and Manna Soup Kitchen provides a hot lunch weekdays at the Durango Adult Education Center, with leftovers available for dinner.

“Sodexo (the FLC food contractor) helps by providing what they have in excess,” said Katie Young, a member of the college’s Sociology Club, which runs the pantry. “But it’s not like they served lasagna in the cafeteria yesterday, so we’re serving lasagna here today. They would refashion the extra pasta sauce, for example. It’s so wasteful to throw food away when there are people on campus who are hungry.”

The group provides food hot lunches on Monday and Friday, with the food pantry open on Thursday. Sociology Club advisor Kahl would like to increase services to four days a week, but they would need more volunteers.

“It ebbs and flows with what the students are able to do, with what faculty is able to do,” she said. “Our goal is to completely revitalize it with more food, more support.”

Based on the steady stream of students Thursday and the fact their hot lunch on Feb. 22 ran out of food, it’s clear the need exists. The group doesn’t ask questions or take names, Young said, because being food-insecure can carry a stigma the club wants to erase. It would like to have a wider selection of food available, including produce, but is grateful for help from area businesses such as Bread, Homeslice Pizza and Starbucks.

“My biggest problem is keeping myself fed,” said Daniel Amerman, who works in the information technology department at FLC 16 hours a week while pursuing a degree in environmental studies. He gets assistance through the Grub Hub and volunteers there. “I did get some help from the Durango Food Bank once, but you have to jump through a lot of hoops.”

Proof of residence is one of the hoops, which can be a problem for students who have a driver’s license from home. Amerman was finally able to use his Fort Lewis identification card.

There is no count of how many students are struggling to feed themselves at FLC, but there are some numbers that might be indicators.

About 62 percent of students receive financial aid because of need, FLC spokesman Mitch Davis said.

One factor for students is the high cost of housing in Durango. Rent is at least $20 to $100 per month more in town than in campus housing, broker and co-owner of The Wells Group, John Wells, told the college’s Board of Trustees at its February meeting. FLC has on-campus housing for about 1,500 of its nearly 4,000 students, most of whom are freshmen.

Throw in utilities and the need to buy furniture, and money left for food isn’t significant, particularly because college students are rarely paid a living wage.

Kahl has worked with La Plata County Thrive, which is dedicated to supporting businesses that pay a living wage.

“Employers will say they’re not sure they need to pay students more,” she said, “because they say they’ll just spend it on beer and skiing. These students need to eat.”

Young has heard the same thing, she said.

“So many people look at college as a time to be poor, hungry and drunk,” she said. “But students are being pushed out of school by the pressures.”

abutler@durangoherald.com

To donate

Nonperishable food donations may be left in the boxes next to the door of the Grub Hub, Room 016 in the John Reed Library.

Financial donations may be made to Sociology Club: Grub Hub, c/o the Sociology Department, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango, CO 81301.

Visit http://www.cufba.org/ to learn more about the College & University Food Bank Alliance.