HARRISBURG, PA — Thirty colleges and private career schools across Pennsylvania will receive a share of $1 million in state funding aimed at reducing student hunger and expanding access to food on campus, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced.
What This Means for You
- Thirty Pennsylvania colleges and schools will receive funding to expand food assistance programs for students.
- Schools may use the grants for campus food pantries, meal-sharing programs, grocery access, and nutrition education.
- The funding is part of a statewide effort to address food insecurity among college students.
The funding comes through the PA Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program, which supports colleges working to address food insecurity — the lack of reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food — among students.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), the grants help schools expand food access, improve facilities, and raise awareness of resources available to students who may struggle to afford meals while enrolled in college.
“Sometimes, hunger is an invisible affliction—an isolating barrier to growth and learning that can, unfortunately, go undetected by peers, educators, and mentors,” said Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe. “When college campuses offer assistance to students at risk of hunger, they’re helping vulnerable learners feel seen, valued, and supported.”
How Schools Will Use the Funding
Institutions receiving the grants will implement a range of programs designed to help students access food and improve nutrition.
Examples include expanding campus food pantries, providing meals for students who remain on campus during scheduled school breaks, arranging transportation to grocery stores, distributing grocery gift cards, and creating campus gardens that grow fresh produce.
Some schools also plan to offer cooking classes focused on preparing healthy meals on a limited budget.
In addition, institutions may create meal-sharing programs — initiatives that allow students with unused meal-plan credits to donate meals to classmates who need assistance.
A full list of grant recipients is available at:
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education/
Part of a Broader Hunger Initiative
The Hunger-Free Campus program is part of the state’s PA EmpowerU initiative, a program designed to support students’ basic needs beyond the classroom.
PA EmpowerU focuses on eight key areas considered important for student success, including food access, housing stability, transportation, financial security, mental health, and digital connectivity.
The Hunger-Free Campus Initiative also connects participating colleges into a statewide network that shares strategies for addressing student hunger and helps schools apply for additional funding opportunities.
Continued Investment in Student Support
State officials said the Shapiro administration has allocated $3 million for Hunger-Free Campus grants across the governor’s past three state budgets.
Since 2023, the program has provided funding to 92 colleges and universities across Pennsylvania to support food assistance efforts on their campuses.
Officials say the initiative complements other state efforts to address food insecurity, including a program providing universal free breakfast to approximately 1.7 million students in Pennsylvania’s kindergarten through twelfth-grade schools.
The funding announcement comes as state leaders continue broader reforms and investments in Pennsylvania’s higher education system, including new initiatives aimed at improving affordability, strengthening workforce development, and expanding student support services across the Commonwealth.
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