Stories News Digest In Context All

SMU food bank feeds students in need

The high cost of university in Nova Scotia has led some students to SMU's food bank for food they can't afford

Like many university students, Chris Robia finances some of his education with a government student loan.

But unlike most students, the third-year classical studies major at Saint Mary’s uses the university’s food bank.

“I discovered my financial situation was in a state where if I didn’t, I’d probably go hungry every third day,” he says.

The Lake Charlotte, N.S. native had been aware of the food bank since first year, but didn’t use it until last month.

He pays half his tuition and living expenses out of his own pocket. A student loan covers the rest.

Not including books or living expenses, university students in Nova Scotia pay an average of $5,868 per year on tuition – compared to $4,724 nationwide, the Canadian Federation of Students reports.

“Without the food bank, I’d be eating mostly unhealthy stuff at this point,” Robia says. “I’d be eating only Kraft Dinner and rice.”

The Saint Mary’s chaplaincy service runs the food bank. Aside from a lump sum of about $400 raised from a charity dinner each year, the service is funded entirely out of the chaplaincy’s budget, says Saint Mary’s chaplain Dan Kelly.

“There are a lot of students who aren’t even aware this service is provided… some of them find out about it when they go to (seek) financial aid and say ‘I can’t even afford to eat.’”

Third-year political science and religious studies student Allen Heerema used the student food bank at St. Francis Xavier University before he transferred to Saint Mary’s. He uses the food bank about once a week.

“In order to eat every day and sometimes eat decent, I supplement my pantry with some food bank stuff.”

More than 40,000 Nova Scotians rely on food banks each month, according to Feed Nova Scotia. Kelly does not keep track of names or how often students use the service, but he has noticed that this year started off with higher food bank traffic than usual.

The food bank is typically busiest at the end of semester, when students have used up their loans, he says.

Each visit, a student can take up to two grocery bags from a wooden cabinet in the chaplain’s office, which is stocked with staples like rice, pasta, and canned soup.

“Most people who make use of it don’t abuse it. Quite a few of them, when times are better, will bring in a bag of groceries to stock the food bank,” Kelly says.

Shy students can phone Kelly and ask that groceries be dropped off in a designated locker, but Kelly says most students come into his office.

“It’s just food to fill bellies,” Heerema says.

But he will return because of the food bank’s location on campus and friendly staff – especially once his student loan begins to run dry.