HTC named a Hunger Free Campus

Brooklyn Park, May 6, 2020 – A free grocery program for students is among the innovative initiatives Hennepin Technical College (HTC) has launched to address food insecurity on campus. Now in recognition of HTC’s efforts, the statewide organization LeadMN has named HTC a Hunger Free Campus.

LeadMN, which represents Minnesota’s public two-year college students, established the Hunger Free Campuses program to encourage colleges statewide to make substantial gains in addressing food insecurity among student populations. HTC met the organization’s key criteria to earn the Hunger Free designation.

“Many of our students are parents of young children and their budgets are stretched to the limits,” said Jessica Lauritsen, vice president of student affairs, HTC. “Making sure that our students and their families have enough to eat is imperative. As a campus community, we care deeply about our students and strive for ways to help them with basic needs.”

A 2019 national report, #RealCollege, found that 45 percent of college students in the U.S. are food insecure, which means they do not have a steady source of food or cannot afford to feed themselves or their families.

Recently, HTC collaborated with a Minneapolis non-profit group, Good in the ‘Hood, to provide free groceries to students in need. Due to the COVID-19 emergency and skyrocketing unemployment, HTC is seeing an increase in demand for the free grocery program.

About Hennepin Technical College

Founded in 1972, Hennepin Technical College (HTC) is the largest stand-alone technical college in Minnesota. With campuses in Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie, the college has a diverse student population and offers degree and non-degree courses in over 45 programs. Achieving a 99% job placement rate, HTC prepares students for in-demand and high-paying employment opportunities. HTC is a member of Minnesota State, which includes 30 colleges and seven state universities.