HOUSTON â Food insecurity can happen to anyone, and the University of Houston is helping students combat the issue through its Cougar Cupboard.
âIt takes a village, and we have so many people willing to move mountains for us, whether that be the universityâs support of making this space possible and pulling whatever strings they need to, to get us what we need to get,â Jessica Haney said.
The program was founded in 2020. It has grown from a small back room serving less than 50 students to brand new space thatâs helping about 800 students every week.
The program also received a donation from TDECU for $23,045. On Friday, the University held a ribbon cutting ceremony. Cougar Cupboard Program Manager Jessica Haney gave KPRC2â²s ReâChelle Turner a walkthrough of the facility.
âWe have a variety of options for students. We have, even just right here, varieties of rice, beans,â she said.
Haney and Turner spoke about food insecurity and how itâs impacting students.
âGrowing up, I was always told, âoh, well, when youâre in college, youâre just going to have to be poor. Youâre going to have to live off ramen.â Itâs kind of a funny thing. But living that way as a college student has real implications. Studies have shown that, first, one in three college students could be experiencing food insecurity, and those rates are higher in Harris County than the national average. In addition to that, food insecurity in college students is linked to lower academic performance, lower graduation rates, lower retention rates, and can also lead to health issues, whether that be from the stress of being food insecure or the lack of nutrients that they receive or skipping meals in general,â Haney said.
Haney spoke about the importance of the program.
âWell, I think that food insecurity is obviously linked to financial insecurity. And 38-percent of the users that we interviewed at intake said that they considered leaving the university due to the financial stress they were experiencing. And after interviewing them, after using the Cupboard, 90-percent of them said that their academic performance, health, and stress levels had all improved. So, Iâm not going to say that weâre fixing everything, but I think that weâre doing a really good job of keeping kids in school and keeping them healthy,â she said.
âIt is contributing to my overall education, to my future. And, yeah, I mean, I couldnât do it without the support UH and Cougar Cupboard has given to me,â student Safia Chaudhary said.
Turner spoke to Safia Chaudhary. Sheâs from India and working on getting her masterâs in social work.
âMy parents are always worried, what am I eating? So, coming here, I have confidence that if I cannot afford fresh and healthy food, I can always come here and get some,â she said.
Daniella Madrigal is doing the same thing. Sheâs from Colombia and her story is different.
âWell, itâs a really good place for me as I donât have a car, so it helps me to not take public transportation. If Iâm already on campus, it will help me a lot. And I donât know Houston very much, so Iâm still learning how to navigate the city,â she said.
Students can receive 30 pounds of food each week. More than half of the students who use the program say they donât have enough money to meet their basic needs. Daniella says the cupboard is critical.
âIt helps me, because I can choose beans or rice, and thatâs Colombian food for me. It helps me to go through the whole week. Usually, I cook on the weekends, and then I have it ready for the whole week,â she said.
The Cougar Cupboard is open throughout the week.