One in three students experience food insecurity nationwide. With state funding, local universities are ramping up efforts to tackle it.

On college campuses across the country, an estimated one in three students experience food insecurity. That may impact not only their health, but also their ability to perform well academically and stay in school. Colleges and universities in Allegheny County have taken steps in recent years to reduce student hunger—namely through the creation of on-campus food pantries. Now, five institutions in the county are planning to ramp up their efforts with grant funding from the state.