Credit: PA Internet News Service
Pennsylvania First Lady Frances Wolf made a stop at Bucks County Community College to discuss hunger among students.
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The first lady met with Bucks County Community College President Dr. Felicia Ganther, other top administrators, and students during her visit to the main campus in Newtown Township. The community college operates other campuses in Bristol Township and Upper Bucks County.
The first lady was shown the campus and a food pantry for students. The pantry includes kitchen pantry staples, toiletries, and basic office supplies.
Additionally, Wolf learned the community college has launched a gift card program to allow food insecure students to make their own food choices.
Credit: PA Internet News Service
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Wolf heard about the community college’s expanding efforts to fight combat food insecurity. The first lady also learned that the community college uses the Pennsylvania Department of Human Service’s Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS) program, which helps students who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).
“Part of Bucks County Community College’s mission is to provide innovative pathways that inspire educational, professional, and personal fulfillment,” said Bucks County Community College Interim Dean of Students Dr. Dekia Smith. “We recognize that whether it’s food insecurity, homelessness, or the need for emergency funds, many of our students do not have what they need to meet their higher education goals.”
Wolf’s office said an estimate has shown 36 percent of students know someone who dropped out of college due to food insecurity during the pandemic.
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“Too many college students are overworked and underserved as they pursue futures that can benefit all of Pennsylvania,” said Wolf.
The first lady’s stop was part of a policy tour to promote her husband’s proposed $1 million investment in fighting hunger among college students and effort to create a $200 million Nellie Bly Scholarship Program that is being discussed among Democratic and Republican budget negotiators in the legislature as the 2022-2023 budget’s June 30 deadline ticks closer.
Credit: PA Internet News Service
“With proposals like the Hunger-Free Campus initiative and Nellie Bly, we have an opportunity to alleviate the burden of hunger for the students who need it most and help them pay for the stifling costs of higher education,” Wolf said.
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Smith, the community college’s interim dean of students, said the state investment in hunger on college campuses would help “ensure an accessible, equitable, and supportive experience for our students.”
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