The Associated Press has this story, which I just read in the print edition of the Detroit News: College students turn to food banks.

Think about the college kids who live off campus and work their way through school, instead of having access to a dorm room, cafeteria card and The Bank of Mom and Dad.

At some point, often after a year or two in the dorms, a lot of “traditional” college students move off campus anyway. The theory is that it’s cheaper and they’ll have more independence than living on campus.

The reality, as I realized when I considered both options as a college student, is that expenses can be far more unpredictable when you pay by the month and have to deal with apartment and roommate finances instead of paying room and board fees by the semester direct to the college.

Off campus students also have car and transportation expenses that can be ignored by those who live on campus and walk everywhere.

A snippet from the AP story:

“Right now, with things the way they are, a lot of students just can’t afford to eat,” said Terry Capleton, who started a Facebook group called “I Ain’t Afraid to be on Food Stamps” when he was a student at Benedict College in South Carolina. …

“More and more, it’s just the typical traditional student, about 18 to 22, that’s feeling this crunch,” said Larry Brickner-Wood, director of the Cornucopia Food Pantry at the University of New Hampshire.

“There’s definitely been an increase in usage and demand. We’re seeing more and more students that have never used the pantry before.”