San José State is continuing to see an increase in food item prices affecting students across campus and making resources like the pantry more essential than ever before.
The Bay Area has seen a 1.6% increase of the price of food compared to last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
SJSU students who are affected by the increase in cost of food rely on school resources like the Spartan Food Pantry from SJSU Cares to continue their academic careers on campus.
SJSU Cares, a division of Student Affairs, offers student support including the Spartan Food Pantry to eligible students facing food insecurity, according to the Spartan Food Pantry webpage.
Brenj Cuneta, the basic needs coordinator for the Spartan Food Pantry, said that the program aims to help enrolled students experiencing food insecurity get support.
“We are here to support those currently enrolled students and are identified or self identified as experiencing food insecurity,” Cuneta said.
With approximately 3,200 international students attending SJSU, resources like the Spartan Food Pantry are an important resource for students to have, according to the SJSU International Student and Scholar Services webpage.
Siddharth Kulkarni, a graduate software engineering student, has been relying on the pantry with expenses like rent getting in the way since the fall 2024 semester.
The cost of rent in San José for students can vary from $1,200- $4,500 monthly adding to student expenses, according to University Living.
“The groceries I get from the pantry help me manage my expenses much better,” Kulkarni said. “I spend most of my money on rent but it feels good not worrying about groceries because of the pantry.
Cuneta said that the pantry may not be able to provide students with all the groceries they need but it can still help ease some of their worries.
The Spartan Food Pantry limits certain food items based on availability and demand, according to the Spartan Food Pantry webpage.
“The pantry is not able to provide possibly all that you need but hopefully with the assistance that (students) are getting every week it's one less bottle of milk to buy from the store, it's one less bag of potatoes to buy from the store,” Cuneta said. “Hopefully the amount that you were supposed to spend on those items could go to your basic needs like rent or clothing.”
The Spartan Food Pantry relies on partnerships with organizations like Second Harvest and Hunger at Home for their inventory, according to the Spartan Food Pantry webpage.
Cuneta said that Second Harvest delivers to the pantry twice a week, where the pantry rations the food to make it last until the next delivery to operate in the most equitable way, while Hunger at Home provides individual frozen meals.
“We see about at least 200 students a day, that's basically at least 1,000 students a week. And we are looking to help more but it's only possible if the community could help us more,” Cuneta said.
Spartan Food Pantry tries to divide its inventory evenly among students with over 35,000 visits during the 2023-24 school year, according to SJSU Cares annual report.
Pranusha Cheemarla, an international graduate electrical engineering student, said having the pantry as a resource can help make sure adjustments to campus feel a lot more smoother.
“As an international student, we don't have access to things like transportation and food. So it's really pleasurable that on campus we are getting this,” Cheemarla said.
Students interested must apply online and once approved can create an account to visit the Spartan Food Pantry using their Tower ID, located at Diaz Compean Student Union, according to the Spartan Food Pantry webpage.
With the price of eggs rising due to production cost and disease, the demand for eggs is at an all time high, according to a Jan. 6, 2025 Forbes article.
Unfortunately, due to high demand for eggs, this has resulted in very limited to unavailable portions for students, according to an SJSU Basic Needs post.
“I usually get veggies and eggs, but nowadays there are no eggs so I’m stuck with just veggies,” said Cheemarla
Cuneta said that although eggs are limited and unavailable, at times the Spartan Food Pantry is still trying to provide alternate food choices as replacement options.
“The price of eggs just went crazy, Second Harvest purchased the eggs through the funds and donations, however it's gotten way too expensive and so Second Harvest is now providing alternate sources of nutrition. It may not be protein directly, but different alternatives like shelf stable milk,” Cuneta said.
Students can continue to rely on the Spartan Food Pantry as they are open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., located at the Diaz Compean Student Union, according to the Spartan Food Pantry webpage.
