Several Minnesota colleges receive $360,000 to address food insecurity on campus
- Lizzy Nyoike
- 42 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) awarded nine colleges a total of $360,000 in 2026 Hunger Free Campus grants.
The Hunger Free Campus grant program was established to address food insecurity at private, non-profit postsecondary institutions and tribal colleges in Minnesota. Grant funds must be used for eligible expenses that support, fulfill, or sustain grant requirements, including maintain an on-campus food pantry or partnership with a local food bank to provide regular, on-campus food distributions, provide information to students on SNAP and other programs that reduce food insecurity, notify students in work-study employment of their potential eligibility for SNAP and provide information to those students about eligibility criteria and how to apply for benefits. They must also hold or participate in one hunger awareness event per academic year, provide emergency assistance grants to students and establish a hunger task force that meets a minimum of three times per academic year and that includes at least two students currently enrolled at the institution. Awarded colleges are also required to match the award by at least 50% through in-kind or monetary contributions.
“For too many Minnesota students, food insecurity is a daily concern,” OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson in a statement. “This initiative is helping students access the nutrition they need to focus on their studies and finish their program. I look forward to a day when every campus in the state is hunger free.”
Food insecurity can affect students in different ways, from sleeping hungry to worrying about how they will afford groceries while balancing tuition, housing, and textbooks. Those pressures can have a ripple academic effect, especially for students already facing barriers of coming from low income households and marginalized communities.
Macalester College, a private liberal arts college in St. Paul, is one of the nine institutions awarded the grant. At Macalester, food insecurity is understood beyond the lack of food. It is also about the added stress that comes with uncertainty.
In a written statement from Babs Santos, director of Media Relations & Public Affairs at Macalester said,“... when students are spending time and energy worrying about basic necessities, it can create additional stress and barriers that may impact their ability to fully engage academically and thrive in their college experience.”
In efforts to address the insecurity, the St. Paul institution of higher learning has focused on normalizing food access through proactive outreach and resources like Open Pantry during orientation and open houses at the beginning of the academic year, ultimately designed to help students feel welcome.
“Ensuring students feel comfortable and supported when accessing resources is a key priority,” Santos said.
For St. Olaf College, a private liberal arts college in Northfield that was also awarded the grant, hunger-prevention efforts look slightly different given nearly all students are on a meal plan during the academic year. The college focuses much of its food insecurity resources when class is not in session, such as winter and summer break.
“The main focus is during breaks including summer,” said Kat Dodge, St. Olaf director of Public Relations Marketing and Communications. “We don't seek to completely eliminate a student's grocery bill, but we want to reduce those costs and make sure they have the staples and they can fill in around the edges.”
St. Olaf’s Lion's Pantry was designed to eliminate barriers that limit students from accessing food resources. Students do not need to apply, pre-register or request access to use the pantry. Any enrolled students can access the pantry using their campus ID.
The location of the pantry was deliberately stationed inside a residence hall for easy student accessibility.
“It's a place students are already going, and can easily access whenever the residence hall is open,” Dodge said.
Both institutions emphasize addressing food insecurity is directly tied to academic success.
“We know that hungry students will struggle in the classroom,” Dodge said. “We can't help them do their Physics homework, but we want to make sure they have the tools and the mindset so that they can succeed.”