Lakehead University is partnering with Ryerson University and Meal Exchange on a three-year pilot project focusing on solutions to food insecurity.
Lakehead was chosen to be part of the project after a 2016 survey by Meal Exchange found it had the most food insecurity among universities surveyed.
Meal Exchange is a national non-profit organization that works with universities, food banks, and campus kitchens to address student hunger and food insecurity.
The project has not started yet but it will look at the causes of food insecurity and solutions at Lakehead, according to Charles Levkoe, the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Food Systems at the school. He has worked with food systems, food sovereignty, and food security work for over 15 years.
“The idea is to move the needle on some of the bigger issues around food insecurity on this campus,” Levkoe said.
The survey found that the university experienced the highest rate of severe food insecurity at approximately 15 per cent.
According to Robert Strachan, co-ordinator of the Lakehead University Student Union food bank, the service has faced challenges in keeping enough food in stock due to growing demand this year and the need to accommodate students with specific dietary needs.
“Me and my team feel like we’re putting out fires all the time because it’s very responsive,” he said.
Strachan pointed out possible reasons for the increased demand, including a large number of international students and Indigenous students, a lot of students taking time off work to study, dependent students, and high Northern Ontario food prices.
Levkoe called the pilot project “grassroots and action-project-based,” one that will look to work with and develop partnerships with students on a local level.
For example, he pointed out Meal Exchange will hire a co-ordinator on campus as the organization intends for the project to be student-led.
“Part of addressing [food insecurity] is also working closely with the people in this community,” he said. “We’re not looking for universal solutions that are going to solve all of our problems.”
Levkoe said the project is about “working with students on solutions that they want to see and what they want to work on and focus on.”
He said he is excited about the project but admitted he doesn’t know what exactly the project will involve and isn’t sure how much he will be involved.
Universities play an important role in doing research and igniting change, according to Levkoe, as he said student food insecurity is often overlooked.
He added that some of the general response to food insecurity such as focusing on food banks and charity misses the larger issues.
“In some ways, we are simply putting a band aid on a large wound,” he said.
Not focusing on the root of food insecurity could make the situation worse, according to him.
He noted the “core issues” causing food insecurity include poverty, colonialism, global trade, inequality, and environmental issues.
“We need to be thinking bigger and we need to be thinking more systemically about these problems,” Levkoe said.
Free tuition could be part of the solution Levkoe proposed, as students could then better afford rent and food.
Strachan echoed Levkoe’s sentiments.
“I hope we get a clear picture of the drivers and the specific long term and short term solutions to food insecurity on campus,” he said of his hopes for the pilot project.
“Let’s be real: a food bank, although a great relief to people at times . . . [is] not really meant to live this long,” Strachan said. “I think there’s something deep-seated and deep rooted that we need to get at and it’s probably financial security, specifically among students.”
Photo by Aaron Hemens
