KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For some college kids nationwide, grabbing food for a day or even a week isn't as easy as you may think.
"We get a lot of students who come in and say 'Look, I know I look like I'm doing well but I'm really in need of food,'" Smokey's Pantry director, Caitlynne Fox said.
A report released by the U.S. Government Accountability office shows the net price for a full-time undergrad student at a 4-year college has nearly doubled from 1990 to 2017. Fox said that fact matters.
"There's so many issues with this, with the rise in costs of education that leads people to needing food pantries," she said.
The report also states out of 29 colleges surveyed, the rate of food insecurity ranges from nine percent to as high as 50 percent on some campuses. Fox said East Tennessee feels that impact, too.
"It's really just any number of people you might see on campus could be in need of food," she said.
She said Smokey's Pantry serves just about anyone and its presence makes a difference.
"You get to pick what you want, which is very cool about our set up," she said. "It's heartbreaking, but it's good to see we're here and we're on campus."
But the need can sometimes stretch a little further. Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries Director Karen Bowdle said they see students, too, and that is something people don't expect.
"They are surprised when they find out we serve students," she said.
The federal report also notes several schools are working to to address the issue, but until then Bowdle said groups like KARM will continue filling the void and they will serve no matter how long it takes.
"As a person who works at KARM and as a mom who has college students, don't be afraid and don't feel intimidated," Bowdle said.