According to an Msnbc.com article, grocery prices have increased by 5 percent over the course of the year. Necessities such as bread and milk have escalated by more than 30 percent.
Single parents and citizens who cannot afford an adequate amount of weekly groceries are eligible for food stamps.
With grocery prices on the rise, new groups of people are applying for food stamps: college students.
The economy is plummeting, making it a challenge to find a job and afford to pay for essentials.
On top of attending classes and studying for tests, students have to discover a way to pay for rent, gasoline, and groceries.
Food shelves have seen a dramatic increase of college students shopping in their stores.
To be approved for food stamps, students must qualify for a state or federally funded work-study program, work a minimum of 20 hours a week, and have a child under the age of 12, among other requirements.
After their freshmen year, SCSU students do not have to receive a meal plan, which leaves them purchasing more bags of groceries on a more frequent basis.
While the majority of college students have a part-time or full-time job, portions of students do not have a job at all.
The average age for college students ranges from 18-22, and at that point, parents make a decision whether to provide money or not.
For the students whose parents' do not supply them with extra spending money, sometimes a food shelf is the only way in which they can feed themselves.
The annual budget that food shelves spend on groceries has increased, and will continue to do so as food prices skyrocket.
Several groups reside in the St. Cloud area to assist others in having a sufficient amount of food in their cabinets, refrigerators, and kitchen tables.
According to the St. Cloud Times, within the first five months of the year, one of the area's largest food shelves has seen a 21 percent rise in business.
Not only is the food shelf servicing college student, it is reaching out to families in need. Parents' may work at minimum wage jobs or may have been laid-off from work, causing the issue of having no food on the dinner table for their children.
Fortunately, people in the St. Cloud area and elsewhere throughout the state are willing to donate to food shelves.
This heartfelt generosity will fill the stomachs of those in need. Whether it be a can of fruit or a whole dozen bags that are contributed to a local food shelf, single parents, college students, and others in need will benefit considerably.
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