As the government shutdown continues, the clock is ticking for thousands of college students whose next meal depends on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Among them is Howard University senior Faith Harper, who says her $260 monthly benefit often makes the difference between eating and going hungry.
“I’ve been on SNAP for about a year now,” Harper said. “I’m good at budgeting, so I make meals that last a week, but sometimes I just don’t eat. That’s not good, I know, but I try to make it work.”
For Harper, the program is a stabilizer. The recent closure of Wonder Plaza, a small strip of restaurants and stores on Georgia Avenue where many Howard students used to buy affordable meals, has made her benefits even more critical. Without SNAP, she says, she wouldn’t be able to get food delivered or shop for groceries outside campus without dipping into money she doesn’t have.
“If this ends, it’s going to impact other students as well, not just myself,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking to hear.”
Across the country, millions of Americans could lose access to food assistance since Congress failed to pass a budget by Nov. 1. College students, long overlooked in national conversations about hunger, are among the most vulnerable. Many work part-time or rely on limited family support while managing the rising costs of tuition, housing, and transportation.
A recent report by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice found that nearly 40% of college students experience food insecurity. This is a reality that hits harder at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), where economic disparities and limited campus food options make students especially dependent on federal aid.
Harper says the potential cutoff feels personal, and it extends far beyond Howard’s campus. “We’re in a metropolitan city with a huge homeless population,” she said.
Despite her fears, Harper believes communities will respond with compassion, pointing to food kitchens in Washington, D.C., and her hometown of Chicago that rally to feed people during crises. But she worries that collective action won’t be enough without federal empathy.
“I just hope they see what’s going on in the streets and actually do something about it,” she said. “Empathy is hard to find, especially in the big house.”
If the government fails to act, Harper and thousands like her will enter the holiday season facing the possibility of empty shelves and missed meals. For students already juggling studies, jobs, and debt, hunger is one more assignment they didn’t sign up for, and one they can’t afford to fail.
Matthew Bluford is a junior journalism major and sports administration minor at Howard University from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
