Institutional resources and planning

Meal swipes/transfer programs: Students with extra meal swipes can donate them to a swipe bank, which can then be allocated to students in need. A survey conducted by the Students Against Hunger program at Colorado State University found a "positive relationship" between students receiving meal swipes and their GPA and persistence percentages.
Food recovery programs: Institutions that partner with the Food Recovery Network can notify students of leftover food from various locations that they can come and pick up.
Community and shared gardens: These can complement food pantries that do not offer students fresh produce. For this option to work, however, it must cultivate clear student and faculty buy-in.
Cooking and meal prep demonstrations: Students unaware of how to cook are at risk of maintaining an unhealthy and cheap diet. The report highlights one study that found students are generally interested in cooking classes and desire to learn better cooking skills.
Connecting students to resources: Single Stop is a popular anti-poverty organization that regularly partners with community colleges to screen students needing financial assistance, connecting them with resources such as SNAP food stamps, Medicaid, tax credits, child care and emergency utility services students

Targeted financial support

Emergency need-based grants can help students struggling with living expenses, utility bills and transportation. Davidson-Davie Community College (N.C.) recently helped a star student who lost her job and owed around $4,500 in past due rent pay the bill, thanks to resources from SingleStop and another state resource.

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