Student food and housing insecurity is very real

A 2017 study showed that 14% of NC State students had been food insecure in the past 30 days and that 9.6% had experienced homelessness in the past year. And those numbers are from well before the economic impact of the global pandemic.

Join the Libraries on Thursday, March 25, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. for a facilitated discussion regarding student food and housing insecurity at NC State. During the course of this online event, we will present new data on student homelessness and food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panelists include Dr. Mary Haskett (Professor of Psychology at NC State and Co-Chair of the NC State Student Food and Housing Security Initiative), author and filmmaker Diane Nilan (Dismazed and Driven: My Look at Family Homelessness in America), and recent NC State graduate and advocate, Indira Gutierrez, now a doctoral student at the University of South Carolina. Gutierrez also appears in Nilan’s short documentary film about NC State student experiences of food insecurity and homelessness.

The panel discussion is free and open to the public; pre-register on Eventbrite here.

Food and housing insecurity has a hugely detrimental impact on student mental health, nutrition, perseverance and, ultimately, graduation. Additionally, lower-income and first-generation students are much more likely to be adversely affected by the unexpected costs encountered while attending college—and most at-risk of dropping out altogether—due to financial challenges. 

“One of the goals of this event is to highlight the different ways in which people can offer support and help to make a difference, whether that's through donating to the Student Emergency Fund or supporting Feed the Pack,” says Libraries Fellow David Tully. “A lot of attendees will be surprised as to the scope of different options that they have to support our students.”

“We're also aware that we might have some attendees who are currently affected by some of the issues which we'll be discussing,” Tully continues. “Our hope is that by shining a light on some of the resources we have around campus, which are setup to support basic needs, then we can help connect them to the right places to get help.”

Immediately after the event, Feed the Pack will host a "pop-up pantry" outside the Hillsborough St. entrance to Hill Library from 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. to accept donations. For a listing of pantry needs, as well as other information about how to help NC State students, visit the Feed the Pack website.