As a full-time off-campus student, it can be difficult to try and budget for groceries each month. According to data from the College and University Food Bank Alliance (CUFA), 30% of college students are food insecure. So I am grateful that CSU acknowledges the seriousness of food insecurity among students and offers many food services to help Rams who need some extra help. This program is especially helpful during these times because I know it can be difficult to budget for groceries especially for those who aren’t working right now. I am truly appreciative of CSU and Rams Against Hunger, and I feel like more students and faculty should take advantage of the services (since they are free!)
Rams Against Hunger offers a menu of services that support students, faculty, and staff experiencing food insecurity, and many of those services can be found on campus! Services include a food pantry, a meal-swipe program, pocket pantries, and in-person assistance with navigating federal aid eligibility. Rams against hunger have done an amazing job to help staff and students access programs to help with food insecurity. I wish someone would have told me about Rams Against Hunger at CSU and all the services they provided last year because it would’ve been super helpful. But I’m glad I found out more information about RAH this year because they have been super helpful and supportive, which is really appreciated during these hard times.
One of the many services that Rams Against Hunger provides is the mobile food pantry here on campus. I love the fact that CSU has a mobile food pantry here at the LSC, it is super convenient and easy! The mobile food pantry is available for all staff and students and they have many food options available!
Their hours are as follows: Wednesdays 4-7 pm, Thursdays 4-7 pm, and Fridays 9 am-12 pm.
You just walk into the Lory Student Center Theater, give them your CSU ID and receive a box! The mobile pantry is open during the academic year so make sure you take advantage of the program. And if you can’t make it to the mobile food pantry, you can also sign up for RamRide Food Ops! RamRide paired up with RAH this semester to deliver boxes to students who can’t make it to the Mobile food Pantry. You simply just register online on the Rams Against Hunger website and sign up for any 2 Fridays a month, and then you will have a box delivered to your door on Friday from 1-3 pm. Many students and staff don’t know about this program since it is fairly new so please take advantage of it and tell your friends!
Another great service that Rams Against hunger has is the Rams Against Hunger Meal Swipe Program. You apply on the RAH website and if you qualify, you will get 60 (free) meal swipes! You can use these swipes in any dining hall and you can reapply every semester! I qualified for this program this semester and it is AMAZING! I save a bunch of money on groceries and I save time by picking up my meals instead of cooking! This program is especially helpful for me because I’m on campus almost every day so I can just pick up food for lunch instead of having to pack a meal. I recommend anyone to apply to this program because it can truly help you save money and time!
Overall Rams Against hunger has many amazing programs to help students and staff who may have food insecurities, I recommend you check their website out and take advantage of the many services they have! They are free after all!
