New Jersey’s 18 community colleges have launched a statewide fundraising effort to combat food insecurity among students, a challenge that leaders say is undermining academic success across the state.
The initiative, called Feed the Future: Fight Student Hunger, was unveiled this month as part of National Hunger Action Month. The campaign is a collaboration between the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC), the Future Alumni Support Team (FAST), and the colleges themselves. Using the digital platform Spotfund, donors can give directly to food pantries and basic-needs programs at each campus.
Widespread Food Insecurity
Food insecurity has long been a pressing issue for community college students. A 2019 survey from The Hope Center found that nearly 40 percent of students at New Jersey’s two-year colleges reported difficulty affording food. Aaron Fichtner, president of NJCCC, said the numbers reflect the difficult choices many students face.
“From our personal experience on campuses every day … too many students are trying to juggle the need to go to college with the need to feed themselves,” Fichtner said. “Many of our students are working multiple jobs to put themselves through college.”
He added that the state’s high cost of living, ranked eighth in the nation in 2024 by the National Association of Realtors, makes the situation especially urgent.
A Local and Statewide Effort
The campaign builds on individual programs already underway at campuses. Salem Community College’s Oak Essentials food pantry, for example, has been a critical resource in one of the state’s lowest-income counties. College president Michael R. Gorman said poverty is deeply rooted in parts of Salem County, making additional support vital.
“We’re an agrarian culture by heritage and there’s a lot of poverty that goes throughout the area,” Gorman said. “It’s in pockets, so to speak, but there’s a great deal of generational poverty.”
Alongside its pantry, Salem has connected students with benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). But Gorman noted that recent federal changes to SNAP under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed last year, have complicated access, prompting the college to expand partnerships with local agencies.
Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County has also tied the initiative to its own Nutrition Hub at the Caroline Huber Holistic Wellness Center. President David M. Stout emphasized that supporting students’ basic needs is directly tied to their ability to succeed academically.
“At Brookdale, we believe that no student should have to choose between pursuing an education and having a meal,” Stout said. “Through resources like the Nutrition Hub … we are committed to meeting our students’ basic needs with compassion and care.”
At Sussex County Community College, donations will support the Horton Nutrition Center. President Cory Homer echoed his colleagues in framing food security as essential to educational attainment. “Meeting basic needs like food security is essential to helping our students stay on track, complete their education, and reach their goals,” he said.
Building Toward the Future
The Feed the Future campaign is part of NJCCC’s broader Opportunity Agenda, which aims to ensure that three-quarters of New Jersey’s working-age population holds a college degree or credential by 2040. Leaders say addressing hunger is central to that vision.
The campaign also follows a pilot fundraising drive launched on Giving Tuesday in 2024 in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges. Organizers hope this year-round version will provide a more sustainable stream of support.
By pooling efforts statewide while channeling donations to local campuses, officials believe the initiative can address hunger while reinforcing long-term goals for student success.
“This is a major issue that’s going to become even more prolific as we go into the next fiscal year,” Salem’s Gorman said. “But by working together, we can ensure that students don’t have to sacrifice their health and well-being in order to pursue their education.”
