CUNY is distributing $140,000 across all campuses to stock up campus food pantries and help feed impacted students.
The reopening of the government shutdown on Nov. 13 allowed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to be fully restored. According to a federal court ruling on Nov. 6, the Trump administration was ordered to deliver full SNAP benefits to states.
However, President Donald Trump’s recently signed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” includes increased work requirements and tightening of eligibility rules for SNAP recipients, putting millions at risk of losing benefits.
Additional funding must go to CUNY food pantries to aid students facing food insecurity.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, it is estimated that the provisions of the bill will result in 2.4 million people in an average month over the 2025-2034 period to lose their SNAP benefits. This includes 800,000 able-bodied adults through age 64 who do not live with dependents and 300,000 able-bodied parents or caregivers up to 64-years-old who live with children who are age 14 or older.
The uncertainty of when people can expect to receive their full SNAP benefits places an increased reliance on local food pantries. CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez authorized additional funding for all CUNY campuses in order to stock extra supplies in their on-site food pantries or provide food assistance in other forms.
In an email sent to students on Nov. 7, the CUNY chancellor informed students about the additional funding and the continued support the university aims to show its students.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that every member of our community has access to resources that are essential to their success,” Matos Rodríguez said in the email to students.
Baruch College’s food pantry, the Bearcat Food Pantry, provides students facing food insecurity with access to healthy food and nonperishable food items. The pantry, open to all CUNY students, is located in Baruch’s One Stop Shop office.
It offers various options including dry goods, meat, dairy, kosher and halal options. Students are required to make an appointment prior to visiting the food pantry. The pantry is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
