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Documentary on food insecurity among college students coming to Laurel Ridge April 3

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Documentary on food insecurity among college students coming to Laurel Ridge April 3

Q&A with filmmaker and Student Support Director Vivi Meder to follow screening of “The Invisible Epidemic”
 
Far too many of our students hunger for more than just knowledge – they are literally hungry. Food insecurity is shockingly common at Laurel Ridge Community College and at numerous college campuses all across the country. A new documentary highlighting this issue is coming to the Middletown Campus on Friday, April 3.

The 11 a.m. screening of “The Invisible Epidemic” will be followed by a question-and-answer session with its creator Daniel McCain and Vivi Meder, director of Student Support at Laurel Ridge.

McCain, a third-year student at the University of Virginia majoring in media studies, with a film concentration, accompanied college students lobbying the Virginia General Assembly in support of the Hunger-Free Campus Bill in 2025. The bill, which passed, provided $500,000 to campus food pantries around Virginia. McCain initially just planned to create a documentary around the legislation.

“I realized that this was a lot bigger than this one bill,” he said.

Meder received an email from McCain asking if he could interview her to gain a perspective on food insecurity among community college students. She said it can be difficult to quantitatively measure how many students are struggling to feed themselves.

“The qualitative data is really, to me, what’s compelling,” said Meder. “We have a Sheetz donation pick up we do every single day. We stock our food pantry fridge every single day, and every single day our fridge is empty by the end of the day. We see people coming in all day long. We have a hard time keeping our shelves stocked.”

The food pantries at Laurel Ridge, which also supply hygiene items and some clothing, receive generous donations and funding, she said.

“I don’t think it’s because of the communities not trying hard enough, or not showing up,” Meder said. “That’s not the case at all. It’s just because the need is so high.”

The 37-minute film is a “testament to the power of advocacy,” said McCain, who also interviewed representatives from Virginia Peninsula Community College, U.Va., James Madison University, William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University.

It’s estimated that between one-quarter and one-third of college students experience food insecurity, said McCain. He added that for the past three years, 38 percent of U.Va.’s incoming first-year class have expressed concern about food security.

“It’s prevalent everywhere,” McCain said.

He and Meder said they believe the general public would be surprised at how widespread the issue has become.

“I don’t think people think about college students at all when they think about this demographic,” Meder said. “If you’re food insecure in K-12, that doesn’t just go away once you get to higher education. There is no national funding for college hunger. It’s state by state. That’s one of the reasons this is such a monumental piece of legislation.”

McCain hopes “The Invisible Epidemic” inspires empathy at a time when those receiving food assistance are sometimes denigrated for political purposes.

“I really hope that this documentary humanizes people,” he said. “I also hope it inspires people. It was really humbling and life-affirming to go to the Capitol and lobby for something and have it pass. We all have the power to do that for issues that we care about. There’s a way to fight for things that matter to you, and I think that that’s really beautiful and hopeful.”

Additionally, the filmmaker hopes to “normalize” seeking help, and “destigmatize” hunger.

“It can be hard to ask for support, but there are so many avenues, whether federal, state or local, for students to get what they need,” he said. “It can be easy to get discouraged or be afraid, but there is always hope and it's worth reaching out. I hope students who are food insecure feel represented by the film, and that it serves as a reminder that they're surrounded by peers and leaders that care for them and want them to succeed.”

Learn more about the screening at laurelridge.edu/epidemic.
 

Documentary on food insecurity among college students coming to Laurel Ridge April 3