The LUSU Food Resource Centre (FRC) works on three levels: (1) to provide emergency food support, (2) to create student engagement and community-based responses, (3) to advocate and bring awareness to the larger issues tied to food insecurity. The aim of the remodel was to break down the stigma surrounding accessing food resources on campuses, and create a welcoming environment for students. The Pantry is a safe, stigma-free environment that provides students who are experiencing food insecurity with culturally-diverse, nutritional, dietary accommodating foods including both non-perishables and fresh options. The object of the LUSU Food Resource Centre is to eliminate student hunger at Lakehead University. Although it is important to have emergency resources available (such as The Pantry) we must also move beyond charitable approaches and advocate for larger change, which is why we have the three following levels of support:
(1): Emergency Food Response: The Food Resource Centre provides emergency food support through The Pantry; which is a safe, stigma-free environment that provides students with culturally-diverse, nutritional, dietary accommodating foods including both non-perishables and fresh options. (2) Student Engagement and Community-Based Responses: We want to empower students to get involved, through educational workshops, volunteer, and leadership opportunities. We will also have programs such as the People’s potato (which offers free hot lunches to students) and the Good Food Box (a community program which provides people with fresh fruits and vegetables). (3) Advocacy: Student food insecurity is a nationwide issue. Meal Exchange (2021) found that 56.8% of post-secondary students across Canada were food insecure³. Previous research also links food insecurity to poverty. Given this, The Food Resource Centre also works with LUSU to advocate on the institutional and policy levels to ensure student food security. We will also bring awareness and advocate on the larger issues tied to food insecurity, such as high costs of living, high tuition rates, inaccessibility to food, etc. We believe that food is a basic human right and should be available, accessible and adequate to one’s dietary and cultural needs. Through a food justice approach, we seek to advocate and address the current structural problems in the university food system and advocate for accessible, affordable, culturally-diverse, nutritious and sustainable foods on campus. As well as understanding the importance of incorporating food sovereignty and indigenous food sovereignty approaches to the solution of food insecurity.
