LUBBOCK, Texas -
It's something many of us wouldn't associate with college and universities. Evidence suggests food insecurity among U.S college kids is rising, which creates the needs to for university operated food pantries.
"Breakfast bars are really popular with students, our fruit is also really popular with our students, things like chicken broth and tuna," Ashlee Taylor said.
Ashlee Taylor is Tech's food pantry coordinator.
"There's 307 college food pantries opening up so what that's kind of showing is that this isn't a problem for one college or one geographical region in the United States," Taylor said. "College students have double the rate of food and nutrition insecurity than that of the general population."
While it pays to get educated, students are forced to shell out the big bucks.
"Tuition and student fees are higher than they've ever been and with graduate students and international students," Taylor said. "International students in particular, international students can only work on campus jobs and if they come here with a spouse or with a dependent they're not able to work outside of the campus so that creates a burden."
That food insecurity travels beyond graduation.
"The amount of population that have masters and Ph.D's who are actually getting food stamps or supplemental nutrition assistance program has increased significantly," Taylor said.
That's why Texas Tech's Food Pantry has been up and running since March.
"We average about 10 a week and we serve graduate and international students at Texas Tech," Taylor said.
"It could be your best friend and they're just not telling you, so that's one of the things I think about, it could be my neighbor, it could be my roommate, it could be one of my best friends that needs food and they're coming here and I just don't know about it," said Julia Peña, Texas Tech's Student Housing Sustainability intern.
Student housing is partnering with the food pantry for its annual move out program.
"We've partnered this year with the graduate school food pantry to give all of our non perishables to them," Peña said. "The more they know about this the more they're willing to use it."
If you've got a pesky parking ticket, you can take care of that too by donating.
"Anyone with an unpaid parking citation can bring items that will get donated to wreck hunger to our office and we will dismiss their parking citation," said Transportation and Parking Services Marketing Coordinator, Stacy Stockard.
The bottom line is -- it's okay to ask for help.
"The students should have the freedom to come down here if they need it and not be scared to ask for help, everybody at some point has to ask for help," Peña said.
If you'd like to donate to Texas Tech's food pantry drop off your non-perishables in the blue bins located in the residence hall lobbies, or at the International Cultural Center.
(Pictured: JoAnn Perez - she mans the 15th and University entrance to Texas Tech from 7:00am to 3:30pm M-F.)
**Donation bins are at all other entrance locations to the university.**
