Stock image of a food pantry courtesy Hurlburt Field.
Ohio House Reps. Sean Patrick Brennan, D-Parma, and Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, introduced Enact the Hunger Free Campus Act earlier this year.
A proposed bipartisan bill would help Ohio college students struggling with food insecurity.
Ohio House Reps. Sean Patrick Brennan, D-Parma, and Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, introduced Enact the Hunger Free Campus Act earlier this year and it had sponsor testimony Tuesday in the Ohio House Workforce and Higher Education Committee meeting.
Ohio House Bill 157 would require the Chancellor of Higher Education to create the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program and award hunger-free campus grants which could, for example, create an on-campus food pantry or a partnership with a local bank, provide students information about SNAP, have an emergency assistance grant available to students, or have a student meal plan credit donation program.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
“A Hunger Free Campus program addresses these challenges directly by providing accessible resources and support systems tailored to meet students’ nutritional needs free from stigma,” Brennan said. “Such initiatives ensure that no student has to choose between paying the electric bill or buying textbooks or groceries, allowing them to concentrate fully on their education.”
H.B. 157 would appropriate $625,000 for fiscal year 2026 and 2027 for the program.
Some universities across the state have a food pantry on campus for students, but how they operate varies, Brennan said.
“There is not consistency on where the pantries live, the size, what is offered, what department they are under, and what you have to prove in order to utilize them,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a single staff member going to the local grocer on their day off to buy things for the pantry.”
Food insecurity is often an overlooked issue that affects many college students, Brennan said.
“Rising costs are making it tougher for students to find sustainable and affordable food options, especially for the growing number of non-traditional students with children,” he said.
Food insecurity is an issue that goes beyond hunger, Brennan said.
About 23% of college students experienced food insecurity in 2020 and 59% of food-insecure students potentially eligible for SNAP did not report receiving benefits, according to a report released last summer by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
A survey conducted last year at Ohio State University showed that nearly one out of every three Ohio State students is food insecure, according to the student newspaper The Lantern.
Food insecurity means a household has limited or uncertain access to enough food to meet their needs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“It affects students’ academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being,” Brennan said. “When students are unsure where their next meal will come from, they struggle to focus in class, perform poorly on exams, and are more likely to drop out.”
Similar legislation has passed in California, Washington, Oklahoma, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
“This bill will place Ohio at the forefront of tackling food insecurity in America and serve once again as a beacon by which more states will soon emulate,” Hoops said.
Brennan introduced a similar bill in the previous general assembly, but it only had sponsor testimony.
Members of the committee had positive things to say about H.B. 157.
“I remember working in college full-time, but still it was difficult to afford food alongside my medicine, and so this is, no doubt, hopefully passes and will support a lot of students,” said state Rep. Munira Abdullahi, D-Columbus.
State Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, asked Brennan and Hoops about the importance of students being nourished in order to learn.
“If you don’t have a full belly, the last thing you’re thinking about is loading the three branches of government,” Brennan said. “The same would be true for anyone, for that matter, whether you’re an elementary school kid, a middle school, a high school, or in our higher ed classrooms.”
State Rep. Kevin Ritter, R-Marietta, asked where the line is?
“Just because we can do it, should we do it?” he asked.
Brennan responded by saying he views this bill as an investment in young people.
“When we invest in people that are hard-working and want to move ahead and climb that socioeconomic ladder, it’s going to save us in the long run,” he said.
Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky.
