Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) today awarded nearly $1 million in PA Hunger-Free Campus grants to 31 institutions of higher education and private licensed schools to combat student hunger on campuses across the Commonwealth.
“The Shapiro Administration has demonstrated its commitment to keeping students of all ages healthy and fed, and the Hunger-Free Campus grants enables postsecondary institutions to expand access to food and critical services on their campuses,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “By sharing best practices and resources, the Hunger-Free Campus coalition is ensuring that learners across the Commonwealth are safe, supported, and cared for while they’re at school.”
Awardees can be found on PDE’s website. Grant funds may be utilized until December 31, 2025. This is the third cohort of grant awardees since the program’s creation. Grants are awarded to help schools address food insecurity on campus, including expanding access to food options, creating awareness initiatives, and upgrading facilities.
All grant recipients are members of the Hunger-Free Campus Initiative, a coalition of Pennsylvania institutions of higher education focused on addressing hunger and other basic needs for their students, creating opportunities for connection among student hunger advocates, providing resources and strategies for campuses, and supporting opportunities to apply for grants related to addressing food insecurity.
The PA Hunger-Free Campus Initiative began in 2022, and is a focus of First Lady Lori Shapiro and part of her work to advocate for students and families to ensure they have the support they need to thrive and live healthy, successful lives.
In his annual budget, Governor Josh Shapiro has secured $1 million yearly to support postsecondary institutions’ efforts in addressing student hunger needs on campus.
The grants are available to both PA Hunger-Free and PA Hunger-Free+ campuses. Schools with a PA Hunger-Free Campus+ designation implemented additional innovative solutions to address student hunger and other basic needs for their campus community, such as offering a variety of meal plans, including an option that provides ten or fewer meals weekly to avoid interfering with SNAP eligibility, creating or implementing meal-sharing programs, educating student leaders on campus to develop student-centered programs, or facilitating innovative community partnerships.