A food subsidy many college students relied on is ending with the pandemic emergency

A food subsidy¹ many college students relied on is ending with the pandemic emergency

Transcript²

A pandemic program that increased food subsidies³ is ending. In Oregon, advocates warn that could be crippling for some college students. (Story first aired on All Things Considered on Feb. 8, 2023.)

ECONOMY

A food subsidy many college students relied on is ending with the pandemic emergencyLEILA FADEL, HOST:

In this country, many college students - they don't have enough to eat. To help, an emergency food subsidy was put in place during the pandemic. But in most states, it's set to expire next month. So some students worry they can't make up the difference. NPR's Katia Riddle⁴ reports from Portland, Ore.

KATIA RIDDLE, BYLINE⁵: As a high school student, Brian Montes didn't think college was in the cards for him. He wanted to go, but he didn't see a path.

BRIAN MONTES: I'm a person of color. I'm brown. I am the son of undocumented immigrants. I am a first-generation American, first-generation student. I also identify - like, I'm openly gay. I also - low income.

RIDDLE: Montes decided⁶ to try anyway. He started college at Portland State University in the early months of the pandemic. Financially, he's on his own.

MONTES: Point nine-one pounds.

RIDDLE: He puts two zucchini on a scale at the grocery store. He's checking out.

MONTES: So that was 1.52.

RIDDLE: One thing that's helped him get by these last few years is a federal food benefit called SNAP.

MONTES: Total on SNAP was about $20.15.

RIDDLE: SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Montes used it on this day to buy the squash, a can of minestrone soup, a container of hummus and some granola bars. He glances down at his receipt.

MONTES: First thing I always do immediately after - check how much.

RIDDLE: How much you spent?

MONTES: How much I have left.

RIDDLE: SNAP helps more than 40 million people across the country buy food. When COVID hit, the federal government increased the benefit and expanded eligibility⁷. College students like Montes benefited from this pandemic safety net. It's set to expire at the end of February. Currently, he gets close to $250 a month.

MONTES: I'm going to be completely honest. I am really terrified.

RIDDLE: Montes could see that drop to less than $100 a month.

MONTES: I'm doing well enough right now, in the sense that through the help that I'm getting and my jobs that I have, I'm surviving.

RIDDLE: Recently, at least 100 students a day have been visiting a food pantry at Portland State University. Trenna Wilson is the manager there. She says given higher food prices, students are already struggling.

TRENNA WILSON: Sometimes this is the first time they've experienced that.

RIDDLE: Wilson gestures to shelves of beans and rice, ready-made soup. She anticipates demand will increase once the SNAP benefit expires.

WILSON: And they feel really ashamed. They feel that they've done something wrong.

RIDDLE: Can you see that in their body language when they come in?

WILSON: We can. We've had more than one instance of tears.

SUZANNE BONAMICI: Yeah, I'm really concerned about it.

RIDDLE: Suzanne Bonamici is a Democratic congresswoman in Oregon. She recently proposed legislation that would require colleges to let students know when they qualify for SNAP. She has personal experience with the issue.

BONAMICI: When I was a community college student years ago, if I had not had - was then called food stamps, I would have been really hungry.

RIDDLE: But there's no solution on the horizon for students like Brian Montes at Portland State University. He's now in his third year of college, double majoring in political science and social science.

MONTES: I love who I am because of who I am.

RIDDLE: He's changed his mind about that list of qualities he used to think of as liabilities - gay, Latino, low-income, first in his family to go to college.

MONTES: I do think about that, but on the flip⁸ side in that, wow, I really got myself here. Wow, I'm really doing this. I have found a lot of self-worth in that.

RIDDLE: He says he might not have discovered this new version of himself if he were busy worrying about having enough to eat.

For NPR News, I'm Katia Riddle in Portland, Ore.

(SOUNDBITE OF FRESH AYER SONG, "DON'T YOU EVER FORGET THAT")

1 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 riddle   

n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜

参考例句：

• The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
• Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 eligibility   

n.合格，资格

参考例句：

• What are the eligibility requirements? 病人被选参加试验的要求是什么？ 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
• Eligibility for HINARI access is based on gross national income (GNI). 进入HINARI获取计划是依据国民总收入来评定的。

8 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。