This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin agreed with Virginia lawmakers’ plan to create the Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program to provide college students with food at no cost, signing the bill Monday.
Senate Bill 1016 and House Bill 2240, sponsored by Sen. Danica Roem, D-Manassas, and Del. Rae Cousins, D-Richmond, initiated the program, allocating $500,000 to support food pantries to eligible public and nonprofit private colleges.
“This is a win for the students and advocates who spoke up at the Virginia Capitol this year, especially for the Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program,” Roem posted on Bluesky.
Last year, following a directive from lawmakers, the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia conducted a study on food insecurity levels at the state’s colleges and universities.
However, the study’s results were unclear since many institutions did not track the issue, and the social stigma surrounding hunger keeps some students from seeking help. A survey completed by 35 of 39 institutions responded that on-campus food insecurity was a “somewhat” or “very problematic” issue.
SCHEV will award the grants to schools that establish an on-campus food pantry or partner with local food banks to connect students with resources in the area. Grants will require institutions to demonstrate that they have an ongoing food pantry or are partnering with a local food bank to be considered eligible.
Students will not be required to prove food insecurity to access pantry services. Institutions that meet the criteria will earn the “Hunger-Free Campus Food Pantry” designation, with funds available to support on-campus hunger initiatives.
Any unused funds will roll over into the next fiscal year. A report on the program’s progress is due July 1, 2026.
Youngkin did not comment directly on the legislation after signing 599 bills before the Monday deadline.
Cousins said she’s happy to see that the governor signed the bill.
“I think it’s an indication of the bipartisan support that Senator Roem and I had for this legislation to address food insecurity on college and university campuses,” Cousins said. “So what this means is that there will now be some actual state support and funding for food pantry programs that are … now being run by students and community members on college and university campuses. So I’m just really happy to see all of us kind of work together in a bipartisan way to address that issue.”
