Unknown to some, food insecurity issues can be a roadblock on a student’s journey toward a college degree. To help those students in need, Hostos has received a $20,000 grant from The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation to restock the student food pantry.
At Hostos, the need is real, and the donation will go a long way toward lessening the burden. In operation since 2011 through Hostos’ Single Stop program, the food pantry has served approximately 5,080 students annually since 2013-14. In 2017-18, due to limited supplies, only 1,440 students were able to receive support. A recent survey of 1,600 students in Hostos’ Allied Health pathway program showed that an alarming 83 percent indicated they have sometimes lacked the resources to feed themselves.
The situation became dire last year when Hostos lacked sufficient support to keep the food pantry fully operational. While the College committed $2,000 to the pantry, along with support from its Student Government Association, it was not enough to keep the pantry stocked.
Located in one of the most economically challenged areas in New York, Hostos offers higher education degrees and programs to students who have traditionally lacked those opportunities. In fact, 27 percent of Hostos students have an annual family income of less than $33,000 and 58 percent are first-generation college students. Donations such as these replace the scarcity of food in the pantry with more abundance, providing the nourishment to keep students filled and focused.
Since 2013, Hostos has also received generous funding in support of The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation Student Emergency Grant Fund, which provides assistance to students with short-term financial emergencies to enable them to persist and complete college.