The Invisible Epidemic

The invisible epidemic has spread for too long. Colleges and universities from across Virginia, from schools with billions in endowments to community colleges are struggling to fund their campus food pantries and support students grappling with food insecurity. Food pantry leaders team up with Swipe Out Hunger to lobby Virginia state legislators to pass the Hunger Free Campus Bill, which would allot $500,000 in state funding for schools to start or strengthen their fight against student hunger. After the bill passes, leaders, advocates, and students grapple with the ongoing stigma, federal funding cuts, heartbreaking personal experiences, and generational impacts of food insecurity on students. This behind-the-scenes look at the ‘invisible epidemic’ of student hunger is a sobering, galvanizing, and ultimately poignant testament to the power of activism.