The University Students’ Council (USC) food support centre is preparing for another busy year as the school year begins for thousands of Western University students.
USC is expecting an increase in traffic at the food bank as the cost of both rent and groceries continues to rise.
“Students are able to walk into the food bank and pick up anything they may need,” says Bianca Gouveia, the vice-president of student services, who oversees the food support centre.
“We also have our hamper service where students can pick up a food hamper to receive five to seven days of food.”
The food hamper service was started to give students a more confidential way to take advantage of the food bank’s services.
To get a hamper, students fill out an online form with any requests they may have, which will usually be fulfilled within 24 hours, according to the Food Support Services webpage. They then have the option to pick it up from the Food Support Centre office or from a confidential locker in the University Community Centre (UCC).
“This is done for those who may fear that they’ll see stigma surrounding food insecurity. So it provides an extremely confidential and private way to receive support.”
The food bank reported a more than 50 per cent increase in use between 2021 and 2022, with more than 1,000 students using the walk-in service and more than 700 hamper requests last year.
Gouveia predicts that even more people will access the service this year.
“As the cost of living continues to be a struggle for students and continues to rise, I definitely see there being an increase. All summer, we’ve been preparing to make sure that we can continue to support students who may need the service.”
The rising cost of living has hit students especially hard, with groceries and rent quickly rising year over year.
“(Cost of living) affects every area of a student’s life, not just food insecurity, but across a lot of other realms of wellness, which is something that we keep in account when we’re offering these services,” Gouveia said.
Gouveia adds that they won’t be putting a cap on how much students can access the food bank, saying the food bank is “dedicated to meeting students where they’re at and supporting them.”
Students can access the food bank, located in the UCC, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.