KINGSTON, R.I. – MARCH 27, 2023 –The Point32Health Foundation has awarded $120,000 to the University of Rhode Island Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America to build an initiative to address food access issues.

National estimates place the range of food insecurity among college students between 13 percent and 58 percent, surpassing the national average. While URI currently has limited data, the University expects that food insecurity on its campuses is consistent with national trends and that the rate of food insecurity is higher now than in previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic shutdown.

To fully understand this issue and to address it, the URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America will build an initiative called the “Hunger Free Campus Community.” Through this initiative, the Center will measure food insecurity and bring together stakeholders from across all colleges and University administration to address the issue and its root causes.

“Nothing like this has ever been accomplished on URI’s campuses,” says Kathleen Gorman, director of the URI Feinstein Center for Hunger Free America. “The ‘Hunger Free Campus Community’ is a community-based program that will persist into the future to address systemic causes of food insecurity and ensure that all students are able to pursue their studies without the risk of food insecurity.”

As part of the University’s efforts, the Center and URI’s Division of Student Affairs are working together to examine food insecurity among URI students and recently launched a survey that will be used to help assess the scope of the problem and inform programming. All students are encouraged to complete the survey, which is open through April 8. Students who complete the survey are entered to win a drawing and can earn more entries by sharing the survey via their social media channels.

“We know students most affected by food insecurity are students of color and first-generation students. This initiative addresses a critical unmet need,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Point32Health Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Point32Health. “The data show that students experiencing food insecurity face lower graduation rates and often require additional time to graduate.”

The program will be built on successful models that have been implemented in other states, such as California, Washington, and Massachusetts. The project team will identify ways in which current operations and policy can be revised to support greater food access and will also support new opportunities for research and curriculum to drive greater understanding and knowledge of the issue.

“This global approach to addressing food insecurity is what the Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America is known for,” said Gorman. “Our goal is to develop solutions to the problem of hunger in Rhode Island and nationwide. We do a lot in our state and around the country, but we cannot forget those on our own campuses who need our support too.”