College students struggling with food insecurity due to government shutdown

Community colleges say food pantries overwhelmed

Campuses in the Los Angeles Community College District report their food pantries are overwhelmed due to increased student needs following the end of SNAP funding.

"Some students have even shared with us, 'I am having to choose between putting gas in my car, and having groceries for the week,'" said Juan Castellanos, Basic Needs Counselor and Coordinator at Los Angeles Valley College in Valley Glen.

Juan Castellanos is the Basic Needs Coordinator at Los Angeles Valley College. He says the impact of SNAP funding running out over the weekend was felt immediately.

"As soon as that stopped, we saw a lot of students coming to our center on November 3rd, which was Monday, and we started seeing huge numbers of students coming into our center," said Castellanos.

This increased need comes as many college students already face food insecurity.

"Over 50 percent of our students at some point have reported food insecurity," said LA Community College District Chancellor Alberto Roman.

The district has more than 200,000 students across nine campuses. That means 100,000 of them have experienced food insecurity.

The Los Angeles Community College District works with the LA Regional Food Bank to stock food pantries on campus.

The district says students who are parents, who work multiple jobs, and who are first-generation college students often struggle the most.

"There's always this misconception and stereotype: 'students going and asking for SNAP benefits are lazy, they're too dependent on the system,' but that's not the case," said Castellanos.

To donate specifically to the Los Angeles Valley College's Basic Needs Center, send an email to basicneeds@lavc.edu.

You can also contact any college in the LACCD you'd like to donate to.