Students going hungry at colleges in California

Latest

Students choose fresh produce at the Laney College Food Bank. Hunger is widespread among college students in California, a state that leads the world in agricultural production.
PHOTO/KEITH WELCH

 
OAKLAND, CA — Why is there food insecurity on the Laney College campus, when we have one of the largest Culinary Arts Departments in the Bay Area? Why is food insecurity a problem in the great state of California while it leads the world in agriculture production? What are student leaders and faculty doing about food insecurity on campus? No more excuses, no more talk, and no more denial. The problem has to be dealt with.
I‘ve attended Laney College for four years and am President of Associated Students of Laney College (ASLC). I’m a Culinary student, and was homeless for a time.
I asked Chefs Lorianne Raji and Laurence Jackson, both veteran Culinary professors at Laney College, if they knew about food insecurity on campus. Both said housing cost is a big problem facing students because it leads to food insecurity, and it leads to shrinking enrollment and high drop-out rates.
High rents are driving students further and further from Oakland and Laney College. Many students have to travel up to three hours a day to and from Laney. When you were paying $1,200 and your landlord raises your rent $600, you’ve got to move. Over 10% of students are homeless; they sleep where they can, couch surfing with family members and friends, or sleep in cars, public transit, or outside.
And there’s no shortage, with 5,000 empty housing units in Oakland, and 3,600 new units being built just in 2018. But these average $2,226 or more a month. They’re very profitable for giant corporations, but no one in poverty can afford them.
Scott Strong, Laney Food Service Manager, spoke with colleague Peter Brown about the problems facing food service for students who need to nourish their brains for effective study. Laney Food Service is not subsidized, it’s required to break even. Shrinking enrollment means less customers, but the cost of running a kitchen and cafeteria doesn’t shrink, so prices rise. Fewer students can afford the more expensive food, and reduced hours serve less people. It was once supported by public education funds.
Laney College is tackling the food insecurity problem short-term with food banks and a weekly food pantry on campus, but there is more work to be done. As president, I’m proud to say that ASLC is leading the way; it provides funds to all student clubs, and all student events on campus. Since I demanded it in 2016, all food for ASLC events is provided free by the Culinary Arts club, and has fed over 12,000 students. I plan a Housing Summit at Laney College in May.
But housing and food are more than a problem, they’re a catastrophe; something has to be done to end hunger and homelessness forever in a world of plenty.
Housing and food are human rights, and it’s our government’s responsibility to provide every human being food in their belly and a safe place of their own to call home. Sleeping in your own bed, cooking food in your own kitchen and taking a bath in your own tub is a wonderful feeling.

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Students Walk Out Across the Country to Protest Trump’s Election

Read the speech delivered by a student at the student walkout at MSU two days after the Presidential election. Thousands of students nationwide walked out to protest Donald Trump's election and his policies on the same day.

Let’s Join Hands to Resist the Trump Agenda

Thousands of groups and millions of people are beginning to reach out to one another to resist the Trump agenda. Regardless of who we voted for, we the people, have a common interest in seeing to it that all our families are well taken care of, that all children are well educated and have a future, and that we have a society free of climate disaster, racism, bigotry and inequality.

How Democrats Ignoring Gaza Brought Down Their Party

"Many Americans roused to action by their government’s complicity in Gaza’s destruction have no personal connection to Palestine or Israel. Their motive is not ethnic or religious. It is moral."

Undocumented Families Are Fighting for Our Future. Will You Join Us?

'As an undocumented mother, I can’t help but worry for my son’s safety first. As an organizer, my worry turns to resolve.'

Fighting for Climate, Students Walk Out Over Trump

"[The student nationwide] walkouts represent a call to action for both parties," said Sunrise Youth Movement, a group that advocates for political action on climate change.

More from the People's Tribune