University of Lethbridge students living in residence now have access to emergency food through the Food for Thought Committee grant.
The Residence Life team developed the Resident Emergency Food Fund in response to reports of food going missing from communal fridges. The team works to ensure students are connected with all the services they need, including food.
While first-year students living in residence are required to be on a dining plan, making the plan last the entire academic year can be a challenging task for students living away from home for the first time.
Continuing students who aren’t on a dining plan can also find themselves short of food.
In some instances, not having enough food can drive students to take on outside jobs to make ends meet, which also diminishes the time they have available to focus on their studies and function day-to-day.
The team applied to the Food for Thought Committee and received a $2,500 grant, which will provide grocery store gift cards and meal vouchers for the Chartwells food outlets on campus.
To access the program, students will be asked to fill out an application form and meet with a member of the Residence Life team, who will determine the long-term support needs.
Along with the short-term support of a grocery card or food voucher, students will get help with long-term planning, resources and referrals.
Campus Life Housing Coordinator Shanna Brown says the biggest issue students are facing is food insecurity and keeping up with the economy – while being full-time students, something she says she understands.
“I moved from Edmonton to go to the U of L. I worked three jobs throughout my degree, and I would lie if I didn’t say it overtook my focus on my studies. I think it came from having that experience in residence and not knowing what my options were to apply for the Food for Thought grant,” Brown says.
Brown notes, no matter the students income will be able to access either grocery carts or on-campus dining.
“We know mobility is a huge thing. There’s not a ton of grocery stores near campus. We ideally are creating a safety net, so students never have to skip meals to focus on their studies or feel like they have to work 40 hours just to keep up.”
“In the long-term, we’re connecting with all the campus resources, so the Food Bodega, Food for Thought Committee, as well as the Community Garden. We have some strong partnerships to get students involved and knowledgeable about what is on campus, the food pantries and all the different resources,” Brown adds.
According to Brown, even though the initiative could be considered a short-term Band-aid, it’s a partnership and a source of long-term planning for students.
Brown explains the team worked hard over the summer to launch the program. “We’ve already had several meetings set-up with students, so obviously there’s a need.”
Maybe, the team can secure some long-term funding in the future for a bigger initiative, Brown says. “That would be great.”
