What Is Swipe Out Hunger and What Does the Organization Do?

Swipe Out Hunger is a nonprofit that works with colleges and universities to end student food insecurity. It describes its mission as powering "the movement to end college student hunger" and partners with campuses on student-led anti-hunger programs. It is relevant to you if you are a student looking for campus food support, a campus administrator exploring food-security programs, or someone who wants to understand how college hunger is being addressed at scale.

The problem it addresses

The organization states that one in three college students faces food insecurity. Its framing of the issue is that student hunger is "a solvable issue" — not an unavoidable feature of college life. The goal it sets out is that no student should have to choose between food and their education.

What it actually does

Swipe Out Hunger operates through a network of campus partners rather than as a direct food bank. Its work centers on:

• Campus partnerships — collaborating with colleges and universities across a network it describes as 1,000+ campuses, primarily in North America.
• Swipe Grants — flexible grants awarded to campuses to support food-security work. The site notes applications for 2026 Swipe Grants are open, and that more than $1 million has been awarded in Swipe Grants.
• Student-led programs — the model emphasizes programs run with student involvement on campus.
• Convenings and shared learning — including a national convening on ending college hunger and published resources such as a national campus survey dashboard and impact reports.

Reported impact

The organization publishes these figures from its own reporting:

These numbers come from Swipe Out Hunger's own impact reporting, so treat them as the organization's self-reported figures rather than independently verified totals.

Who it is for

• Students facing food insecurity who want to know whether their campus has a program — the practical step is to check the campus partners list or ask their student affairs or basic-needs office.
• Campus administrators and staff who want to launch or grow a food-security program; the Swipe Grants and convening are aimed at this group.
• Advocates and donors who want to support the broader movement or stay informed through the organization's newsletter.

How to get involved

The site offers a few concrete entry points:

1. For campuses — use the "Get Involved" path to learn how to bring your campus into the network.
2. For grant seekers — check the Swipe Grants page for the current application cycle (2026 applications were listed as open at the time of the site content).
3. For general updates — sign up for the monthly newsletter.
4. For media — inquiries are routed through the organization's Media page.

One caveat: the site content does not specify eligibility rules, grant amounts, or deadlines in the material available here, so confirm current details directly on the relevant page before applying or planning around a specific cycle.