U of M offers free meals to SNAP recipients amid uncertainty over program funding

(Nov. 4) The University of Minnesota said it will offer one free meal a day for students, workers and faculty who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amid uncertainty about program funding during the federal government shutdown.

The school’s announcement Monday came as the Trump administration said SNAP, otherwise known as food stamps, will be partially funded for November after two federal judges said emergency funds must be tapped for the program. When these payments will be distributed, however, remains uncertain.  

More than 3,000 Minnesota college students were enrolled in SNAP as of December, including nearly 700 in Hennepin County, according to data from the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families. More Black students received SNAP benefits than any other racial group in Hennepin County, despite more white students using the program statewide. 

Many students also visit campus food shelves — an even more important option now with pending SNAP funding up in the air.

Of the hundreds of students who visit the University of Minnesota’s Nutritious U Food Pantry weekly, roughly 75% are Black, Indigenous and people of color, according to Michelle Trumpy, the director of public health at Boynton Health, the university’s health service. More than half of the pantry’s visitors are graduate or professional students, and around 43% are first-generation students. 

Roughly one in four students at the university experienced food insecurity in 2024, Trumpy added.

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure our students have access to fresh and healthy food and so they can focus on their studies,” said Matt Tveter, Boynton’s assistant director of marketing and communications.  

Normandale Community College has a Campus Cupboard that provides free food five days a week. Without full SNAP benefits, said Paige Wheeler, lead coordinator of Normandale’s basic needs service, food shelves already over maximum capacity are under increased pressure.

“The tools we have are not enough to deal with this bigger system that doesn’t work perfectly and has a lot of inequities,” Wheeler said.

She added: “Obviously students are very stressed. Their families are very stressed.” 

Spending extra money on food and ignoring other expenses puts students in a difficult position, Wheeler added. If they cannot pay tuition and owe the school money, some may decide to drop out. 

“It will have a ripple effect,” she said.

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