Roughly one in four students at the University of Nevada, Reno struggle to afford healthy food, according to recent data. 

UNR reports that the number of visits to its food pantry, Pack Provisions, has increased nearly 5,000% since the university first began gathering data in the 2015-16 academic year. 

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During that first year, there were 78 visits to Pack Provisions. By the end of the 2021-22 academic year, that number had skyrocketed to 3,814. All faculty, staff and students may use Pack Provisions regardless of financial need.

Amy Koeckes, associate director of UNR's Center for Student Engagement, said that the uptrend is in part due to university efforts to educate students on food insecurity and promote Pack Provisions.

"Since 2016, the university has been working on breaking down the stigma of food insecurity for students," Koeckes told the RGJ. "To help with these efforts, the Center for Student Engagement and ASUN, the student government on campus, have worked on marketing and education to students about the pantry."

Demographic data for the fall 2021 semester show that the majority of Pack Provisions users were female, in-state students and students who live off campus.

UNR freshmen and seniors account for roughly half of all Pack Provisions users.

The spike in Pack Provisions visits comes as the cost of studying and living in Reno has increased.

Since 2016, in-state school tuition for 15 credits (a typical semester) has jumped by roughly 24%, from $3,108 to $3,840. The cost of lower-tier dormitory options has risen by 18%, about $1,000 since 2016.

Reno's rents increased at the highest rate among U.S. mid-size cities in the past four years, which could explain why three-quarters of Pack Provisions users live off campus.

From 2019 to 2022, the Reno-Sparks metro area saw its median rent jump by just over 36% to $1,624 per month, according to real estate investor site Stessa. In contrast, the national median rent across the United States was $1,435.

Food insecurity isn't the same as hunger, though the two issues are related and not mutually exclusive. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides labels to define a range of food insecurity. "Very low food security," according to the USDA, includes "reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake." 

Pack Provisions started in 1987 as University Food Pantry, a branch of Residential Life, and has since traversed administrative departments to become more expansive and inclusive of the student body. The name changed to Pack Provisions in 2016, when hygiene items were added and UNR began gathering data on student food insecurity.

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