Education Requires Access to Good Food

By Sarah Siska, Coordinator, Thunder Bay + Area Food Strategy, Photo courtesy of Sierra Garofalo

While a new year brings many changes, one familiar sight at both Confederation College and Lakehead University is the return of students to the classroom after a well-deserved break. Yet, a troubling trend intensifies: the relentless rise of hunger and food insecurity on postsecondary campuses across the country.

Recent data reveals a stark reality. According to Food Banks Canada’s 2023 HungerCount, postsecondary students represent 8% of food bank users in Canada, up from 5% in 2019. And, a 2021 survey by Meal Exchange covering 13 campuses (primarily in Ontario) and over 6,000 students ranked Lakehead University as having the nation’s second-highest rate of student food insecurity, at an alarming 73.8%.

Sierra Garofalo, director of food security for the Lakehead University Student Union (LUSU), has seen a significant increase in emergency food needs over the years. In November 2022 the LUSU food pantry was accessed 225 times by 175 students, whereas November 2023 had 311 visits by 235 students. Further, for the 2022–2023 year, 90% of emergency food pick up clients were international students. The growing need confirms for Garofalo that emergency food is just reflecting the problem of student poverty; what we need are preventative solutions. She calls for students, institutions, communities, and governments to collaborate on solutions that address the root causes and systemic inequalities.

Robin Gathercole, president of the Student Union of Confederation College (SUCCI), knows there is a problem on campus, but wants to look beyond band-aid solutions to fix it. While the SUCCI Food Bank only has the capacity for emergency access, Gathercole understands the stigma associated with emergency food access and wants to focus on solutions that prioritize dignified food access on campus.

Gathercole’s goal “is to work toward campus food security by both reducing costs and teaching students self-reliance,” he says, noting that, if given the opportunity, students can grow food for themselves and their campus communities, reducing the challenges of accessing (and affording) food after a long day of classes.

To be successful, students need to feel supported, nourished, and part of a strong community. For Garofalo, this can all happen through food. Similarly, Gathercole promotes this connection between food and learning through lunch and learn events, encouraging students to learn from professors and peers over a free meal, emphasizing the importance of good food for successful education.

Garofalo wants to see students assert their power to express their foodrelated needs, asking, “How can post-secondary students come together to transform food systems on their campuses, to create community and support cultural diversity?” LUSU has started this work with the development of a Student Food Advisory Council as a shared space for interested students to advocate for food systems transformation on campus.

As for Gathercole, he wants to see campus food systems grow beyond emergency responses and toward resilient systems that empower student selfreliance. With big plans to develop food access infrastructure on campus— including community garden plots, both for students’ personal use and to provide fresh food for campus grocers and food services—he hopes the college community will come together to reduce hunger on campus.

Student empowerment has to be matched with recognition; while students are keenly aware of their needs, institutions must match this awareness with tangible financial and infrastructural support. All of us—students, alumni, and community members—can support students’ access to nutritious and dignified foods. And together, we can work towards eradicating poverty and inequity underlying food insecurity.

For more information on campus food resources, contact Sierra at frc@ lusu.ca or Robin at succi@ confederationcollege.ca.