Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

New Bill Tackles Student Hunger With Meal Credit Sharing Program

A groundbreaking new bill that would allow university students to donate unused meal plan credits to fellow students passed the Virginia Senate last month marking the latest effort to address the growing crisis of student hunger on college campuses. The proposal introduced by Senator Danica Roem would expand the Hunger Free Campus Food Pantry Grant Program established last year requiring universities with meal swipe services to create systems allowing students to voluntarily donate unused credits for distribution at campus dining halls or food pantries. Universities that receive Hunger Free Campus status would need to establish student meal credit sharing programs with donated swipes also available for food pantries to support their own operations while leaving institutions responsible for developing specific procedures.

The bill responds to alarming statistics showing roughly 35% of students at Virginia Commonwealth University experience food insecurity according to a university study, with an estimated 23% of college students nationwide or 3.8 million facing similar challenges according to the United States Government Accountability Office. First year pharmacy student Jason Ip who has already shared swipes informally with friends said the new system would make helping fellow students much more convenient since currently students must physically share their student IDs to transfer swipes. Research shows student food insecurity disproportionately impacts students from underrepresented groups or low income backgrounds affecting not only physical and mental health but also academic performance.

The bill has been referred to a House committee with the General Assembly expected to adjourn in March and the final deadline for the governor to sign or veto legislation set for May 25.

Source: https://commonwealthtimes.org/2026/02/11/new-bill-would-allow-students-to-donate-meal-swipes-to-each-other/

PrevPreviousMonks Complete 108 Day Peace Walk Through The U.S.
NextTeacher Wins Global Prize For Transforming ClassroomsNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

Monks Complete 108 Day Peace Walk Through The U.S.

February 14, 2026

Nineteen Theravada Buddhist monks from Fort Worth Texas completed a remarkable 2,300 mile Walk for Peace arriving in Washington DC after 108 days of walking through eight states to share a message of loving kindness and mindfulness, culminating in a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial where hundreds gathered to mark

Read More
Happy News

Youngest Person Ever To Play Organ At Oxford University

February 14, 2026

Louis Moss a 12 year old schoolboy has been awarded a scholarship to play the organ at Jesus College Oxford making him the youngest person ever to play the organ for an Oxford college and one of only 750 young people now thought to be learning the instrument in the

Read More
Happy News

Nobel Prize Winners Urged Chile To Stop This Massive Project

February 14, 2026

The scientific community is celebrating the cancellation of a ten billion dollar industrial project that would have threatened the clearest skies in the world in Chile’s Atacama Desert, as astronomers warned its proximity to some of the world’s most powerful telescopes would have irreparably damaged the best site on Earth

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.