Food stamps help alleviate the stressor that is maintaining a well-balanced diet, as it makes buying fresh produce easier and overall makes healthy options more accessible.
To the stressed out college student who’s worrying about maintaining their grades, making friends, and all other things that weigh on the mind of an 18-year-old, maintaining a healthy diet is also a big factor that can get lost. Part of it may be the freshman 15 that freshmen experience when their parents aren’t over their shoulder making sure they eat a balanced meal, but a bigger part of it may be that groceries are expensive and fresh produce goes to waste quickly.
With access to food stamps, a student can pick up a handful of fruit from the grocery store and make a fruit salad or smoothie, supplement their meal with fresh spinach leaves, or do anything else to ensure they’re getting their daily serving of fruits and veggies without worrying about how much they’re spending feeding themselves. Especially since college is an escape for kids coming from abusive homes, and a way for kids from poor families to make money to support their parents who rely on them, free food could help alleviate some of the financial burden of taking care of oneself.
Meal stamps should be a staple for college students because they ensure that the hard workers on campus can still survive if/when they run out of meal plans or haven’t eaten a vegetable in a few days, as is customary for young adults transitioning into the world.
