As the week comes to an end, several international students grapple with the idea of where their next meal is going to come from.

On one hand, student organizations and churches have banded together to offer free meals to students on campus, and on the other, a food pantry called The Market on Tierra Blanca has extended their resources to West Texas A&M University students in need of food security. 

During the reporting process for this story, we learned that international students often adopt a hybrid diet, blending traditional foods from their home countries with new foods encountered in the host country. 

This is due to a lack of culturally diverse foods available, affordability, and lower support for a culturally diverse diet. This acculturation of diets can lead to weight and other health changes, affecting students’ academics and mental health. This contributes to food insecurity as well, not just nutritionally and mentally. 

International students are not the average college students. They leave their home countries to attend WT, and while for most of us, the transition doesn’t seem entirely too daunting, they face the adversity of transitioning into the American lifestyle.

While adapting to life in a new country, international students are hit with the limitation that sets them back from fully committing to their education; one being the insecurity of food. 

According to a report published in the journal Advances in Nutrition, while both international students and domestic students struggle with food insecurity, it is notably higher at 26.8% of international students struggling with food insecurity compared to 19.9% of white domestic students. This information, contrasted with results from a survey we conducted, 50% of WT international students who responded struggle with food insecurity. 

There are currently ten student organizations and ministries that provide weekly free meals to any student, and three more that provide a free meal 1-3 times a month. Based on the days that these meals are available, students could have up to 10 free meals weekly because of conflicting times. 

These meals are usually funded by the student organization or donated by local churches or businesses. Of those thirteen organizations, the majority have international students regularly involved and present at their meals and community events. 

When searching for resources that international students can fall back on, we had the opportunity to meet with several community members and organizations that clued us in on why they had extended their hands to college students. 

Ronnie Hall, the executive director of the WT Alumni Association, launched Fuel the Herd, a food drive dedicated to ensuring that students’ nutritional needs were met without personal sacrifices or worries. As an alumnus of WT, Hall saw fit to provide additional resources for students who were struggling, which led to the creation of the food drive. 

“We are happy to see the consistent success of Fuel the Herd over the past three years, with the amount of donated food increasing annually,” Hall stated. “We are committed to impacting students through the Fuel the Herd food drive and plan for its continued growth.”

Hall isn’t the only community member who has begun helping students with food security, as Suzan and Tim Tripplet took the initiative to invite several international students into their home for a proper Thanksgiving dinner. 

The Tripplets were no strangers to unfamiliar surroundings, new traditions, and adapting to a new way of life, as they had both been raised outside of the United States. They understood the stance international students were in; being from another place and not wanting students to be alone during a day about family festivities. 

Similarly, Kat Luciano found her own way to connect with international students through her role as a leader at Young Life, a student ministry group. After getting to know several students, she began inviting them to her home and offering rides to Amarillo, especially to the international market, where they could find familiar foods from their home countries.

Organizations on campus are also doing what they can to help international students. The Baptist Student Ministry has Free Lunch on Wednesday, called FLOW, available at the BSM building for all students, and international student-oriented events one Friday every month. 

In addition to this, the BSM has partnered with churches in the Canyon community to donate items for welcome baskets such as blankets and jackets that the WT Admissions office gives to new international students when they arrive. The items in the baskets are chosen based on responses from surveys sent out to current international students about their needs when they first arrived in the country. 

Hannah Green, a former student at WT and currently the associate director of the BSM, helps often with these events and talked about the efforts the BSM puts towards helping international students where they can. 

Green said the BSM made the decision to host additional events to create connections between international students but also with American students. At these events, students have created deep bonds, and Green remembers one particular group who would meet up outside of these events to play games together. 

Whether that help comes from the BSM or any other resource, Green expressed that as long as the students are finding people they are comfortable with and getting the help they need, that’s what matters. 

Another setback international students may face when they arrive in the US is not being fluent English speakers. Although there are resources such as teachers and classes at WT for these students to help them learn the language, some organizations on campus connect these students with community members who speak their native tongue so they can still feel comfortable and speak in the language they are most familiar with. 

At the University of Charleston, in West Virginia, efforts to support international students have also extended beyond the campus. 

Violetta Petrosyan, the director of international students, recognized that many students couldn’t afford a trip or did not have time to return home during spring break, so she organized a completely free trip to the Smoky Mountains. 

The goal was to provide a fun and meaningful alternative for those staying behind. The initiative was so well received that she organized another trip in 2025, this time taking students to Washington, D.C. These experiences not only gave international students the chance to explore more of the U.S., but also helped them bond with peers and feel valued by the university community. 

Violetta Petrosyan’s deep commitment to creating a sense of belonging also led her to launch a “Neighbor Day” event, where local residents were invited to campus to share traditional food and connect with international students. With the help of the students, she turned the event into a vibrant cultural exchange that helped break down barriers and build relationships between the university and the wider community. 

The Tripplet’s as well as Luciano’s generous act of welcoming international students into their home for Thanksgiving is a simple yet powerful example of how local community members can support those far from home. 

Their initiative can be easily replicated by others in the Canyon area by inviting students to holiday gatherings, offering a home-cooked meal, or even just spending time together. Since many international students face cultural adjustments and social isolation, small gestures of inclusion can make a big difference. 

Community members, by opening their homes or sharing local traditions, can help bridge the gap between cultures and ease the transition for international students living in the Texas Panhandle. 

“I think more people need to be aware of their struggles and help them feel welcome,” said Luciano, “I’ve had some friends telling me they would love to get to know international students and invite them to their homes for holidays meals.”

Luciano’s comment highlights the potential for deeper connections between international students and the local community. 

With more awareness and encouragement, these small acts of hospitality could become a meaningful tradition in the WT community.

Similarly to the Tripplets’ and Luciano’s efforts, organizations on campus providing and donating where they can is something anyone can do.

Green mentioned that part of the advantages of international student events is for international students to get to know American students. She said she encourages all of the BSM staff and those who participate in these events to offer help to these students and ask them if there’s anything they need. Oftentimes, this help comes in the form of transportation, but they also collect donations of jackets and food for these students. 

It is truly a beautiful thing to see the community in Canyon and at WT banding together to help where they can. While no new proposals to expand any efforts have been announced yet, there are no plans to stop the good that these people are doing for their community. 

Every day, there is hope that emphasizing the issue will inspire change and influence more people to do what they can and get the word out to students who are struggling. Take a look in your home– even something as small as an extra can of soup in the pantry or a spare jacket on a hook could change a life.