ALMOST half of students surveyed at the University of Newcastle this year were spending under $20 on food a week.
That amounts to a loaf of bread, one bag of frozen vegetables, a bunch of bananas, some rice, and a packet of chips at most major supermarkets today.
"In some cases, we can assume students are just going without," University of Newcastle's Students' Association (UNSA) president Georgie Cooper said.
"If they've got other bills to pay, food might not be the priority."
UNSA's food pantry, which relies on grants and donations, has had shelves completely cleared most weeks this year. The service has helped 1200 students in 2023, many of whom visit weekly.
"We regularly run out of groceries and need to top up with more. We put [out] calls for donations which people have been really great at support us with," Ms Cooper said
The association has been awarded $10,0000 of more than $600,000 from City of Newcastle's annual grants and sponsorships funding for the grocery hub.
"We're very proud that this is a grassroots program that has been supported by community, by staff and different programs, and now by the council," Ms Cooper said.
Deputy mayor Declan Clausen said students made up a "important" demographic in a "community town" and needed to be supported accordingly.
"We want to make sure they have enough food on the table so they can focus on pursuing their higher education goals," Cr Clausen said.
The association's general manager Jennifer Hanson said the grant would last about six months and help to supply food, sanitary products and cleaning supplied for students.
But in previous years, this amount of money would have covered the food pantry for an entire annum.
"We have had exponential growth in demand for our pantry this year," Ms Hanson said. "Demand is probably going to continue to increase.
The pantry sees surges of students during peak placement times for degrees like social work, nursing and teaching where a certain number of unpaid hours must be worked.
The university provides hardship grants and grocery vouchers to eligible students during this time but many still rely on the pantry for key staples.
Jamie Federico is in her third year of studying social work and counselling. She does not have a set budget for groceries but found it "very hard" to afford fresh food while living out of home.
"I only buy the things that I really need the most," she said. "That's what I [have] to do to save money."
Ms Federico, who like most social work students must complete 1000 hours of unpaid work to qualify, visits the pantry regularly.
"I love that they have something like this for everybody. It is a way of showing the [university] cares about people who are struggling," she said.
UNSA also runs Free Food Fridays with OzHarvest, a free breakfast bar and on-campus lunches.
Ms Cooper urged community members to consider donating to students experiencing food insecurity.
Donations to the pantry can be made here.
IN THE NEWS:
How you can help police make inroads in property crime crackdown
Paul McCartney was great, but one thing on big night let us down
Alleged arsonist pleads not guilty over Hunter grass fires
Driver clocked going 224km/h barred from roads for two years
Women to 'reclaim the night' in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie
