Provide interventions to prevent or alleviate hunger among students (e.g. including supply and access to food banks/pantries).
Prince of Songkla University provides a range of interventions to prevent and alleviate hunger among students, particularly those experiencing financial hardship or limited access to adequate food.
In 2025, PSU implemented multiple forms of support, including food pantries, sharing corners, free meals, lunch scholarships, and emergency financial assistance across several faculties and campuses.
Food Pantries and Sharing Corners
Faculty of Liberal Arts – Pantry of Sharing
The Faculty of Liberal Arts operates a Pantry of Sharing to support students experiencing food hardship. The pantry is available to students across all year levels and provides access to food and essential items when needed.
Faculty of Nursing – Sharing Corner
The Faculty of Nursing operates a Sharing Corner throughout the academic year at the student residence Co-Working Space 2. Students are encouraged to contribute and share usable items, including: canned food, books, clothing and other essential daily-use items. The initiative provides a continuing peer-support mechanism for students who may need assistance with food and other basic necessities.
Faculty of Science – Happy Box / Pantry of Sharing
The Faculty of Science maintains a Happy Box / Pantry of Sharing near the faculty food court. The pantry provides: dry food, beverages and essential daily-use items for students experiencing financial or food-related hardship. The pantry is located at the Co-club near the Faculty of Science food court, and donations can be made directly to the pantry or through the Student Development and Alumni Relations Unit.
Free Meal Support during Examination Periods
The Faculty of Science also implemented the “Full Stomach, Happy Heart” (Im Thong Suk Jai) programme to provide meals to students during examination periods.
In 2025, the programme supported:
172 students during the midterm examination period in January;
117 students during the final examination period in March;
392 students during the midterm examination period in August; and
295 students during the final examination period in October.
A total of 976 student participations were recorded across the programme’s 2025 activities.
This intervention helps reduce food-related stress during academically demanding periods and ensures that students have access to meals while preparing for and taking examinations.
Lunch Scholarship Programme
The Faculty of Natural Resources provides lunch scholarships to students experiencing financial hardship. In the 2025 academic year, the Faculty awarded:
Scholarships were distributed to undergraduate students across all four year levels.
Students applied through an online system, and applications were reviewed by the Faculty Scholarship Committee, with priority given to students experiencing the greatest financial hardship.
Student satisfaction with the lunch scholarship programme was rated at 4.82 out of 5, indicating a very high level of satisfaction among recipients.
Additional Emergency and Community Support
PSU also provides other forms of assistance that can help students maintain access to food.
The Faculty of Nursing provides emergency loans of up to 3,000 THB per student for students facing urgent financial hardship, including expenses related to food and daily living.
At Trang Campus, the Sufficiency Market also includes food-sharing activities in which food products are distributed free of charge in addition to being sold.
2025 Student Hunger Interventions at a Glance
| Intervention | PSU Unit / Campus | 2025 Evidence |
|---|
| Pantry of Sharing | Faculty of Liberal Arts | Food support available for students in need |
| Sharing Corner | Faculty of Nursing | Operated throughout the academic year |
| Happy Box / Pantry of Sharing | Faculty of Science | Dry food, beverages and essential items available |
| Free Meal Programme | Faculty of Science | 976 student participations |
| Lunch Scholarships | Faculty of Natural Resources | 254 scholarships |
| Total Lunch Scholarship Support | Faculty of Natural Resources | 245,750 THB |
| Emergency Financial Support | Faculty of Nursing | Up to 3,000 THB per student |
| Food Sharing Activity | Trang Campus | Free food products distributed through the Sufficiency Market |
Ensuring Access to Food
Together, these interventions demonstrate PSU’s multi-layered approach to preventing and alleviating student hunger through:
direct access to food through campus pantries;
free meal provision during high-demand academic periods;
financial support for daily meal expenses;
emergency assistance for students in financial distress; and
community-based food-sharing initiatives.
These measures help ensure that students experiencing financial hardship can maintain access to food and continue their studies with reduced food-related financial pressure.