LA GRANDE — A staggering one in three college students experience food insecurity, but area individuals and colleges want to ease that burden through a series of measures that include on-campus food pantries, donation programs and raising awareness.

Food insecurity among Oregon college students isn’t a new challenge. A Temple University survey of more than 8,000 Oregon college students in 2019 showed 41% had experienced some sort of food insecurity within the prior 30 days. Almost half — 46% — of respondents said they could not afford to eat balanced meals. Over a third of respondents said they had either skipped or reduced the size of their meals because of a lack of funds.