# Plain Language Summary: Food for Thought Act of 2022

This bill would create a federal grant program to help colleges and universities provide free meals to their low-income students. The Department of Education would award five-year grants to colleges that have on-campus dining facilities, allowing them to offer between one and ten free meals per week to eligible students. The program would prioritize helping students who are struggling the most financially or facing food insecurity, homelessness, or other basic needs challenges.

To qualify for these grants, colleges would need to have at least 30 percent of their undergraduate students eligible for federal Pell Grants (a need-based financial aid program for low-income students). The bill gives preference to community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and schools in lower-income areas. Colleges can apply individually or band together in groups to share resources. When selecting which students get free meals, schools must prioritize those with the greatest financial need and those experiencing food insecurity or housing instability.

Schools receiving grants would use most of the money directly for meals but could spend up to 10 percent on related activities like helping campus food vendors accept food stamps (SNAP benefits), running on-campus food pantries, or buying kitchen equipment like microwaves and refrigerators. Schools would also need to evaluate whether their meal plan policies create barriers for low-income students and work to fix any problems they find. Additionally, schools would be required to inform students about other assistance programs they might qualify for, such as SNAP.

The bill includes reporting requirements so that after five years, colleges must submit data showing how many students participated, how many meals were served, and whether participating students had better success rates in terms of staying in school and completing courses. This information would be broken down by race, ethnicity, income level, and other factors so policymakers can see whether the program is working fairly across different student groups.

Food for Thought Act of 2022

Schiff, Adam B.

Food for Thought Act of 2022 This bill allows the Department of Education to award grants for eligible institutions of higher education to provide free meals to low-income students through on-campus meal programs.