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    News and Events

    News

    The Hope Center Collegiate Basic Needs Survey

    We would love to have your institution sign up as interested in administering the Hope Center Collegiate Basic Needs Survey this spring. Unsure or need more information before you sign up? Please join us on Thursday, December 5, at 11 a.m. for an informational webinar to learn more about the process, support for administration, and the data/technical assistance you’ll receive to put those results to good use for your learners. Contact Dr. Kimberly McCurdy at kimccurdy@pa.gov for meeting details.

    PA MASLOW K-16 Mental Health Summit

    The PA MASLOW K-16 Mental Health Summit (PDF), held in June 2024, addressed rising mental health challenges for students transitioning from K-12 to postsecondary education. The summit brought together traditional, full-time college students, K-12 educators, postsecondary representatives, and community partners for a day-long roundtable focused on understanding mental health support during this transition, identifying barriers, and discussing strategies to improve services and ensure consistent support for traditional students moving from high school to college. 

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office releases Report on Student Food Insecurity and SNAP  

    About 3.8 million college students experienced food insecurity in 2020.  Read the latest federal study on food insecurity among college students which underscores the need for more systemic changes to the federal food-assistance program.

    Food Pantries​

    It's come to PDE's attention that PA Department of Agriculture has policies that would apply to some food pantries on campus, in certain instances. Please see the following circumstances. If you are practicing the second or third scenarios, you should make sure your food pantry complies with the policies.

    • If the food pantry is simply bundling prepacked, unopened, goods, it would be exempt from licensing requirements.
    • If the food pantry is opening and portioning ready-to-eat / ready-to-heat & eat, and/or processing foods for portioning (aka, making meal kits) distributed direct to consumer, it would need a Retail license.
    • If the food pantry is processing foods for distribution to other food pantry locations prior to reaching the end consumer, it would need a Food Establishment license.

    If your institution is a PA Hunger-Free Campus and you receive the HFC grant, you may use these finds for any costs associated with obtaining the appropriate license, if necessary. If you have questions, please reach out to Darrin Youker, Policy Director at the Department of Agriculture, dyouker@pa.gov. 

    Register for The PA Collegiate Basic Needs Dialogue Roundtable