College Students on Food Stamps

According to collegefinder.com, some Florida State students are getting food stamps because they can't afford their basic food groups. The website goes on to say that over 54,000 students have benefited from food stamps, which is a 44% increase over this past year. 

This seems to be trend that's happening at universities and colleges all around the country. It seems families aren't the only ones struggling with rising grocery prices and a downward economy.

On abcnews.go.com that there was a student from Benedict College in South Carolina named Terry Capleton. He started a facebook group called, "I Ain't Afraid to be on Food Stamps" and there other groups on facebook with similar names.

This is astonishing! I delved into this subject more with research via the web and discovered students from New York, New Hampshire, California, Washington and Texas are all applying for food stamps. Regardless of the negative connotation, I think it's sad that so many students are working to improve their life and can't afford food. They should be concerned with their class subject, homework and graduation. I think this is a reason dumpster diving is becoming so popular. People are going to great lengths to survive in this tragic economic crisis. Without proper nutrition, how can students concentrate on their education ? We all can do our part, even if our part is small. Small parts do collectively make a whole.

I've volunteered teaching cooking classes for local food banks. I taught people how to get creative with less expensive ingredients, but there is always more to do! Donating food year-round is a great way to address the epidemic. Everyone I know, thankfully, has so much food. I will definitely donate to my local food bank every month and not just on holidays. People are hungry year-round and not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Besides, how long could a turkey and mashed potatoes possibly last? DONATE TO YOUR FOOD BANK TODAY!!!