Minnesota Now

Food cupboards at MN community colleges address hunger and declining enrollment

Cathy Wurzer, Melissa Townsend and Lindsay Guentzel
A student in a portrait.
Aditya Sharma, a 27-year-old nursing student from India, started using the North Hennepin Community College food cupboard in May 2021. Since then, he’s spread the word throughout his nursing classes. He estimates he’s led 10 to 12 others to getting groceries at the food cupboard, too.
Jaida Grey Eagle | Sahan Journal 2021

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Every public two-year college in Minnesota now has a food pantry where students can get free groceries. Hunger is a real problem for low-income students, and in combination with a dearth of affordable housing, it’s contributing to a dramatic decrease in enrollment at community colleges.

Becky Dernbach reports on this issue for Sahan Journal. She joined host Cathy Wurzer with more.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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