The fifth floor of Humber’s Learning Resource Commons looked a little different on Monday during the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences (FLAS) “Free Food Day”.
Juice boxes, granola bars and bowls of instant noodles were spread across multiple different tables for any students that were looking for a snack or meal to take.
Matthew Esquira is a first year student who stopped by right after an exam and said it was his first time going to get a meal at one of these events but he thinks now is when students need easy access to meals.
“It makes sense to have free food out, since it’s exam season [so] lots of students may be busy cramming or skipping meals to study and get work done,” he said.
Free Food Day is part of student appreciation month initiatives that were being hosted by FLAS this semester. It’s their way to give back to the students that help make up the Humber community.
In a survey conducted by BMC Public Health, out of 6167 students from 13 university campuses in Canada, 56.8 per cent of them were dealing with moderate or severe food insecurity. The survey goes on to explain that other post-secondary campuses have introduced things such as campus food banks and community gardens to help combat the rise in food insecurity among students.
Jessica Freitag is a faculty member in FLAS and has been supervising these events over the past few weeks. She says that the event has been getting close to 100 students per day. There have also been prizes and a raffle each week.
“Food insecurity is a reality these days and it’s a way to bring people together. I mean who doesn’t need food, right? So getting students to really feel appreciated in a way that we know is our goal,” said Freitag.
Maggi Patterson is a registered holistic nutritionist who shared her thoughts on why free food days are beneficial for college students.
“I think factors like time, money, and a lack of knowledge and resources are obvious barriers that can make it hard for college students to maintain a healthy diet. I also see social media as a barrier too, as healthy eating is often portrayed as buying expensive supplements or eating ’clean’ and there are so many conflicting opinions.”
She also offered some tips for those that may be working with a tighter budget for food. She said some options are to cook meals that can be saved as leftovers and last a few days such as stews and salads.
She also recommended buying plant-based proteins that are less costly and buying frozen vegetables and fruit are an easy way to get produce that will last a while without losing out on the nutritional benefits.
As for students that are looking to eat cleaner, Patterson said trying to choose options that include fresh produce like salads, wraps or sandwiches are a good option for a quick lunch.
“The biggest thing that helped me to create a healthy relationship with food is seeing health through the lens of how I can give my body more rather than seeing food and exercise as punishment,” she said. “Think about adding in more good rather than feeling guilty. It’s never about perfection or restriction but rather abundance, balance, and self-care.”