All New York State public colleges in The State University of New York system including SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton will have a food pantry or stigma-free food access for students in need by the end of the fall semester.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo made that announcement and said it will make New York the first state in the nation to have such a program to combat student hunger.

As classes began this fall semester, nearly 90 percent of SUNY and CUNY campuses were offer the service as part what Cuomo is calling his "No Student Goes Hungry Program."

“Hunger should never be a barrier for those seeking to achieve their dreams of a higher education," he said. "New York is proud to be the first state in the nation to require every public campus to have a food pantry, ensuring that our students have all they need on the path to success."

The announcement from the governor’s office noted that Cuomo announced a five-point plan to combat hunger for students in kindergarten through college in his 2018 State of the State address.

“The plan seeks to provide healthy, locally-sourced meals to the almost one million children in New York who do not have access to the adequate nutrition they need. As part of that plan, the Governor tasked SUNY and CUNY with the establishment of physical food pantries on campus or stigma-free access to free food,” the announcement said.

"Food insecurity can affect anyone, including the students enrolled in our campuses...and with the incredible support from all 64 SUNY campuses and partnerships across the state, we are quickly changing not only the conversation about hunger on our campuses, but how we support our students in critical need,” said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson abut the program.