– University of Missouri student juggles academics and feeding her family
– Local students struggle due to loss of social benefits
– College food insecurity becomes a pressing issue in Missouri
The Struggle of Balancing Academics and Basic Needs
For Puna Neumeier, a student at the University of Missouri, finishing a day of classes isn’t a mere sign of academic hurdles crossed. Instead, it signals the beginning of another round of challenges: locating food, paying the rent, and attending to the needs of her disabled mother.
Living with Food Insecurity
Puna’s responsibilities as a caretaker extend to provisioning and preparing food for her family. This is a common dilemma faced by many students who have been struck hard by several social benefits’ cutbacks in recent times. The situation has brought college food insecurity into the spotlight in Missouri, narrating a distressing tale of students grappling with basic needs while trying to forge ahead acadically.
The Effects of Social Benefits Reduction
This painful turn of events has been exacerbated by the reduction of social benefits, resulting in an increasing number of university students struggling to balance scholastic responsibilities with the need to feed themselves and their households. It’s a distressing paradox where the pursuit of academic advancement, intended to break the chains of financial hardship, are being shackled by the very chains they seek to break.
The Breezy Take
This article puts a face to the growing crisis of college student hunger in Missouri and amplifies its urgency. The withdrawal of vital social benefits has left vulnerable students like Puna, not just struggling to meet basic needs, but in a cruel irony, has constrained their progress in the very academic pursuits meant to overcome such financial hardships. It is a stark call to action to heighten awareness, foster dialogue, and instigate action to address college food insecurity—a crisis no student should have to face.
Original article: https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/08/loss-of-benefits-brings-missouri-college-food-insecurity-to-the-forefront/