FILED SENATE
May 14, 2020
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
S.B. 778
SESSION 2019 PRINCIPAL CLERK
S D
SENATE BILL DRS15506-MKa-212C*
Short Title: UNC/CC/Hunger Free Campus Initiative. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Murdock, Smith, and Foushee (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to:
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE HUNGER FREE CAMPUS INITIATIVE AND TO
3 APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THE INITIATIVE.
4 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
5 SECTION 1. Initiative Established. – The Board of Governors of The University of
6 North Carolina and the State Board of Community Colleges shall establish the Hunger Free
7 Campus Initiative (Initiative) at constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina and
8 community colleges under the jurisdiction of the State Board of Community Colleges,
9 respectively, to address student hunger and food insecurity in accordance with this act.
10 Constituent institutions and community colleges may use the funds made available to them
11 pursuant to this act to establish new programs, expand on existing programs, and utilize
12 community resources on their campuses. Funds may also be used for providing basic needs and
13 other essential resources to students vulnerable to food insecurity as deemed necessary by
14 campuses.
15 SECTION 2. Hunger Free Constituent Institutions. – As part of the Initiative, the
16 Board of Governors shall set a goal for constituent institutions receiving funds pursuant to
17 subsection (a) of Section 4 of this act to be designated as "hunger free campuses" and to
18 implement at least the following policies and strategies:
19 (1) Designate a campus employee to help ensure that students have the
20 information necessary to enroll in campus meal plans or locate other meal
21 options appropriate for their resources.
22 (2) Provide for an on-campus food pantry or regular food distributions on campus.
23 A campus may partner with a local food bank or food pantry to meet this
24 requirement.
25 (3) Establish or enhance existing meal sharing programs that allow students to
26 voluntarily donate their unused meal plan credits to be distributed for use by
27 students in need to access dining halls or to support an on-campus food pantry.
28 Each campus shall establish the parameters of their meal sharing program and
29 make them publicly available to students and interested parties. The program
30 information made publicly available shall include at least the following:
31 a. How a student may donate his or her unused meal plan credits.
32 b. How a low-income student can apply to receive donated meal plan
33 credits.
34 c. The methodology for determining how unused meal plan credits that
35 are not used by a student in need or how food purchased using these
36 unused meal plan credits will be donated to support the on-campus
*DRS15506-MKa-212C*
 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2019
1 food pantry, which shall be established by campus officials in
2 consultation with pantry staff and volunteers, including student
3 volunteers.
4 d. The campus employee designated pursuant to subdivision (1) of this
5 section.
6 (4) Designate a campus employee annually as a point-of-contact to work with
7 student volunteers for the meal sharing program described in subdivision (3)
8 of this section to assist students.
9 SECTION 3. Hunger Free Community Colleges. – As part of the Initiative, the State
10 Board of Community Colleges shall set a goal for community colleges receiving funds pursuant
11 to subsection (b) of Section 4 of this act to be designated as "hunger free campuses" and to
12 implement at least the following policies and strategies:
13 (1) Designate a campus employee to help ensure that students have the
14 information necessary to locate appropriate resources for meals.
15 (2) Provide for an on-campus food pantry or regular food distributions on campus.
16 A campus may partner with a local food bank or food pantry to meet this
17 requirement.
18 (3) Designate a campus employee annually as a point-of-contact to work with
19 student volunteers to assist students with finding meal options and community
20 resources.
21 SECTION 4.(a) Funds for Constituent Institutions. – There is appropriated from the
22 General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina the sum of one
23 million six hundred thousand dollars ($1,600,000) in recurring funds for the 2020-2021 fiscal
24 year to be allocated to each constituent institution in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars
25 ($100,000) each fiscal year to implement the Hunger Free Campus Initiative in accordance with
26 this act. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, as a constituent high school,
27 shall not receive funds pursuant to this act.
28 SECTION 4.(b) Funds for Community Colleges. – There is appropriated from the
29 General Fund to the Community Colleges System Office the sum of five million eight hundred
30 thousand dollars ($5,800,000) in recurring funds for the 2020-2021 fiscal year to be allocated to
31 each community college campus in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) each
32 fiscal year to implement the Hunger Free Campus Initiative in accordance with this act.
33 SECTION 5. This act becomes effective July 1, 2020.
Page 2 DRS15506-MKa-212C*