South Middlesex Times

Joachim D. Sackey, a researcher at the Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences at Rutgers School of Health Professions, has been concerned about food insecurity among the Newark student body since he joined in 2017. Food insecurity, defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as reduced or limited access to adequate nutrition, affects approximately 13 percent of American households and up to 40 percent of college students.

In an effort to understand the situation at Rutgers, Sackey conducted a survey involving 302 graduate health sciences students. The results revealed that 28.5 percent of respondents were food insecure. This prompted Sackey to collaborate with university leadership to establish a food pantry for the Rutgers Health community in Newark.

This month, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) will honor these efforts with a HOPE Award. The award is given to Newark-based program partners who work towards enhancing food security in the region.

Elizabeth McCarthy, President and CEO of CFBNJ stated, “We at CFBNJ are proud to honor the Rutgers Health Food Pantry and pantry+ at Rutgers University-Newark with HOPE Awards at our Blue Jean Ball this year.” She added that the award recognizes their tireless efforts to address college hunger and improve student health through nutritious food and supportive services such as SNAP application assistance, hygiene product distribution, nutrition consultations and more.

Sackey has been monitoring trends associated with college students’ food security for years. He observed that today's students often face difficult decisions about food due to financial constraints resulting from rising education costs and increased debt.

The cost of college education has significantly risen over time. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 1963 and 2023, adjusting for inflation, average tuition fees and room and board at public institutions rose by 130 percent, reaching approximately $20,000 per year. Private school costs surged nearly 180 percent during the same period, exceeding $49,000 in 2023.

The Rutgers Health Food Pantry was established to alleviate these challenges. Each week during the semester, Sackey and a team of volunteers distribute food, hygiene products and other items to as many as 180 students, staff and faculty. Since its inception in September 2021, the food pantry has distributed over 288,000 pounds of food and served more than 35,000 people across 11,067 households between January 2023 and February 2024.

Sackey aims to maintain the food supply and expand the client base in the coming years. He also hopes to broaden their base of community support to mitigate risks associated with over-reliance on one source of food.

While initially created for students, the food pantry extended its services to staff and faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sackey believes that an open-door policy is crucial for a successful operation as it helps overcome stigma associated with food insecurity.

Sackey's ultimate goal is to eradicate food insecurity by extending federal school nutrition programs to college students, simplifying SNAP eligibility requirements for college students, providing more financial support for vulnerable students including first-generation students among other measures. He said, “There are so many solutions. All that’s needed is more political will to execute them.”