Geogian College's FoodLocker sees doubling demand

Inside a tiny room at Georgian College, staff at the school food locker program are hoping to keep up with a surge in demand.

The school's FoodLocker program provides students with non-perishable food and personal hygiene products. According to staff at the food locker, the program has seen demand double this year compared to 2023.

As students prepare to head back to class, staff at the food program say they will support more than 400 people in September alone, many of them international students needing help for their next meal.

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"They are not getting jobs, and they need a lot of money to pay their expenses, and when they come here, they feel very loved, and they see that we help them with food, and they feel very passionate about that," said Dikshant Thukral, who is the President Georgian College student association.

Thukral, who enrolled at Georgian College in 2020, says he has noticed many of his classmates struggle to afford food as housing costs and inflation increased.

"It is really concerning for us just to see how many students are actually in need, and we just want to offer more and more products, actually double what they're used to in terms of what they get. So hopefully, it lasts longer," said Chris White, a student life coordinator with Georgian College's student association.

At the Barrie Food Bank, the organization has been at the forefront of supporting a growing number of people needing help. The food bank is partnering with the FoodLocker to bring more experience to volunteers and staff to help support students in need.

"We help them with purchasing and delivery of product, and we have been doing this for a few years now," said Sharon Palmer, executive director of the Barrie Food Bank. "It is very difficult for students who are in that job to find a good price and get them over to the College. So we use our resources, and our trucks and our drivers."

Georgian College FoodLocker staff are working to beat the clock over the next few days before students start classes next week.

Staff at the FoodLocker say that they accept donations throughout the year. Anyone interested in supporting and donating can contact Georgian College directly or through their website.