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Policy Spotlight - CA AB 543:
- The issue: The Hope Center reports that this year, 38% of college students at 4 year institutions and 44% of students at 2 year universities faced food insecurity. SNAP can be a transformative resource for eligible students, but many don't know about it, nor know where to turn for guidance. For many students, accessing government food assistance is an inaccessible, difficult-to-navigate process that many are left to navigate alone in the novel, often stressful world that is college.
- The bill: AB 543 would require California Community Colleges and California State Universities, and request that the University of California, provide information about CalFresh to all incoming students as part of campus orientation.
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Photo courtesy of Swipe Out Hunger
- Why care? Food is a basic need and essential to students’ health, sense of belonging, and success. Increasing the visibility of campus food insecurity also fuels other efforts, like food pantries and mutual aid. Sharing CalFresh information at orientation elevates the issue—the first step to solving it.
- The actions: On campus? Ask your school's orientation coordinators what basic needs programming they have planned and urge them to expand it! An engaged citizen? Check out unBox's Linktree to find your reps, and email them about AB 543 using our auto-fill email! And like us on Twitter and Instagram!
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