University of Toronto Addressing Chronic Hunger: Food Banks

Expensive meal plans and a lack of access to healthy options have been affecting University of Toronto students and leading to food insecurity, prompting some to even turn to food banks, according to a number of resident advisors and dons.

“A lot of students do not perform to their full potential, just because they’re hungry, or experienced depression, anxiety and other mental health complications and that can be solved with access to affordable foods,” said the Chelsea Residence don.

The issue of chronic hunger experienced by university students had been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The University of Toronto Student Union Food Bank has been running since 2001 and continues to address food insecurity on campus by operating a free, year-round Food Bank open to all University of Toronto students in need of food.

The Food Bank aims to ensure that all students using it are treated with respect and that the food distribution is equitable and fair. At times, they have limited supplies and do their best to accommodate students.

UTSU Food Bank Objectives:

• To ensure students have food in their cupboards
• Protect and maintain student confidentiality and privacy
• Address hunger as a health and wellness issue
• Accommodate different dietary and cultural needs (where possible)
• Provide a safe environment for students and staff in light of COVID-19

It is great to see university students and unions taking action in addressing such an overlooked issue present on so many college campuses nowadays and we look forward to the continued change and effort taken by universities in responding to present problems related to food scarcity and hunger.

References

Amin, Faiza, and Meredith Bond. “Food Insecurity Becoming Growing Concern at University of Toronto.” Toronto.citynews.ca, 16 Sept. 2022, toronto.citynews.ca/2022/09/16/food-insecurity-university-of-toronto-resident-dons/.

“Food Bank.” UTSU - University of Toronto Students’ Union, www.utsu.ca/food-bank/. Accessed 11 Mar. 2024.