BHCC and Other Community Colleges Spark Senators' Request for Study on Food Insecurity on College Campuses
Thursday, February 23, 2017
U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Edward J. Markey, Patty Murray, and Debbie Stabenow today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on food insecurity at American colleges and universities.
A long-time advocate for raising awareness for the issue of hunger on college campuses, BHCC President Pam Eddinger, along with North Shore Community College President Patricia Gentile and Berkshire Community College President Ellen Kennedy, wrote to Senator Warren, urging her to push the federal government to study this issue. Terry Hartle, Senior Vice President, Division of Government and Public Affairs at the American Council on Education, encouraged the college leaders to enlist the help of their senators in pushing for this study.
Senator Warren's office issued a press release announcing the senators' request, including a quote from President Eddinger, where she describes the importance of the issue to the College:
"The prevalence of food insecurity on our campus, and on campuses across the state, is a huge concern. For some of our students, it is a daily struggle to decide whether to spend their last dollars on food or on the subway to get to class," said Dr. Pam Eddinger, President of Bunker Hill Community College, which hosts a mobile food pantry every month. "We need to do more to ensure that our students' basic needs are met so that they can focus on completing their degrees and working towards a better future."