November 20, 2009

SU food bank expands services

The University of Calgary Students’ Union has launched a pilot project that will expand its food bank services to students attending other institutions including Mount Royal University, SAIT Polytechnic and the Alberta College of Art + Design.

Historically, the SU Food Bank donated its overflow of food along with monetary support to Calgary’s Inter-Faith Food Bank. Given that its intended purpose is to alleviate student hunger, the SU will now invest its overflow in targeted support to post-secondary students at other institutions in Calgary. Along with this pilot project, the SU will also maintain a level of support to the Inter-Faith Food Bank.

“The number of people in the U of C community in need of emergency food relief continues to climb. We have seen a substantial spike in usage—up 50 percent over the same time period last year. It comes as no surprise that post-secondary students across the city are feeling the same pressures,” said Charlotte Kingston, SU president.

“We are pleased to be able to collaborate with other institutions to extend this emergency relief resource due to the generosity of our volunteers and community donations,” said Kingston. “With that being said, we continue to hope for a post-secondary education system in which the need to access emergency food relief is not considered part of the norm.”

Until Jan. 29, 2010, the U of C Students’ Union Campus Food Bank will be available to students and staff of the University of Calgary, the Alberta College of Art + Design, Mount Royal University and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Students of each institution will be admitted by the same means used to verify U of C students by making sure they have a valid Student/Staff ID card. The SU is working with representatives from all three participating institutions to inform students on how they can access the expanded support.

“This pilot project is a great example of post-secondary schools working together to address student hunger,” said Kingston. “If the pilot program runs successfully and contact between our different institutions can be done clearly and efficiently, the SU will look at continuing the program throughout the year on a regular basis. Ideally ACAD, Mount Royal, and SAIT would become more heavily involved in acquiring donations along with offering administration and volunteer support.”