The starving student stereotype has been around for a long time but it’s a worsening reality with the rising cost of tuition, groceries and rent.
The most recent survey done at Mount Royal University in Calgary found that nearly half of the students reported they were either food insecure or struggling to make ends meet, according to the MRU director of Wellness Services.
“Between 20 to 30 per cent of them reported that they had skipped meals in the past month because they couldn’t afford to eat,” said Jody Arndt, MRU’s Wellness Services director.
Aliya Abdallah is a fourth-year student studying business with a major in marketing. She said much of her time is spent trying to balance her finances when it comes to putting food on the table.
“It’s not the same as a couple of years ago. I have learned to become very frugal – I’ll look for things that are marked down or cheaper options. I use the apps to go through flyers to find what’s cheapest and go to that specific grocery store but there’s a lot of things that I can’t get anymore because they’re just so expensive,” Abdallah said.
On Friday, Abdallah was one of the first students to take part in NourishU, a free course at MRU that teaches students how to budget their grocery bills and cook healthy meals. The program is funded by Canadian Natural Resources.
“I think it would be very beneficial if I learned how to cook for myself in a way that’s healthy and nutritional rather than ramen and hotdogs and chicken fingers,” laughed Abdallah.
Students in the NourishU course learn how to be better shoppers and to use ingredients that are in season or on sale. The also learn to reduce food waste by redefining what parts of the fruit or vegetable you can use – throwing it all in soups and smoothies.
Some students are getting cooking skills they may not have picked up at home, while others have been persuaded by cooking shows and social media that expensive ingredients are a must.
Arndt said they’re breaking down the myth that healthy meals have to be expensive.
“It’s definitely cheaper to do things healthy at home than to buy fast food or any processed foods,” Arndt said.
MRU has also partnered with a Green Calgary program called Spill the Beans which involves reducing food waste and how to extend the life of foods.
Arndt said MRU has funding for the program for the next three years.
“Not only does it help feed students now, but also it’s designed to teach students to meal plan and grocery shop and to cook on a budget,” Arndt said.
The program started in January and a second class was held on Feb. 16 where students learned how to cook satay tofu with noodles.
“The feedback we have received from the students who were involved in our last class suggested that they learned a lot from the course. It shows the value of us teaching basic skills in this transitional stage in a student’s life. I think it’s important that institutions become involved in basic life skills training as well for students,” Arndt said.