Georgian College provides confidential Food Locker program to combat student food insecurity
A confidential Food Locker program provides students in need with a bag of non-perishable items and hygiene products to alleviate food insecurity caused by rising inflation.
"The food locker program is an emergency food bank for all students of Georgian across all the campuses," says Georgian College Student VP of Sustainability Shivang Khamar.
The program, run by the Georgian College Students Association, offers seven to eight meals per bag, with things like soup, diced tomatoes, pasta and sauce, oatmeal, granola bars, beans and fruit cups. They also offer a meat or vegetarian option.
"They can come once every two weeks to get that bag. They can come multiple times during a semester to get it, so we hope that helps. But it also helps us flag other things if they need other help. Maybe they need help in our co-op and career department, maybe some counselling," says Georgian College Student Life Co-ordinator Chris White.
During the pandemic, many students lost their jobs, making grocery shopping all the more difficult.
"I also applied for the food locker, and I got back, and that was really helping me and a lot of students at the time," adds Khamar.
"In 2022, we did 5,000 bags that went out. That equals about 39,000 meals," says White.
With that many meals going out, the program sometimes dealt with food shortages.
However, that issue is now being addressed with a partnership with the Barrie Food Bank.
"They've been helping us source food items and get some better deals just to make sure that we have as much food as we need for people who are asking for it," says White.
The program also helps identify other areas of need for students, such as job assistance or counselling.
On top of the partnership with the food bank, the Food Locker program has also collaborated with the Barrie Good Food Box to provide students with boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables for half of the original price.
"If they are feeling any emergencies, they can take a benefit of it, and it helps them during their difficult times," says Khamar.
The Food Locker program is also accepting donations from outside of the college.
Anyone from the community wanting to donate perishable items or monetarily can do so through the Georgian College Students Association.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Canada Post’s newest stamp features special cookies for Islamic holiday
Canada Post’s newest specialty stamps feature “melt-in-your-mouth” desserts to mark two Islamic festivals, the crown corporation announced Thursday.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Canada's real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.