2024 Campus Hunger Survey
Report & Responses

1. Increase open hours/days 

We hear you! With our usage skyrocketing, it has become very busy in the store. We are limited by the availability of volunteers as we are almost 100% volunteer run. Furthermore, during our “closed” hours, volunteers are helping to restock the shelves, repackage foods, receive food shipments, and perform the many other tasks necessary to prepare the CFB for client appointments.

In an effort to increase the number of clients we could serve in one week, we added an extra block of time to our appointments schedule starting September 2023, increasing our shopping appointments by about 40 per week. This further increased our food costs, as well as staffing and volunteer needs.

Furthermore, we were thrilled to open the University of Alberta Community Pantry in January 2024 in collaboration with University partners. While the CFB is managing the space for food safety and cleanliness, we are depending on the U of A community to fill the pantry. We have worked with a dozen groups across campus already who have adopted the pantry to fill it for a week, and we are seeking more groups to sign up.

To better accommodate the increased demand, we plan to expand appointment openings to Saturdays beginning this Fall. Please stay tuned for details.

2. Allow walk-ins

Due to the rapid increase in clients accessing the CFB, we cannot accommodate walk-in appointments anymore as this puts excess strain on the volunteer and food resources. However, exceptions can be made in emergencies, in which case, please ask to speak with a staff member or email info@campusfoodbank.com.

For context, We went from supporting a total of 6,300 food bank visits in 2022-23 to a total of 7,900 food bank visits in 2023-24. We are on track to exceed 11,000 visits by the end of August 2024. We want to do our best to ensure that the food selection is good for those who booked ahead.

3. Increase appointment frequency

The current CFB guidelines on appointment frequency are in place to ensure equitable and fair access for all clients at our current level of food stock. Given the rapid increase in demand, our shopping appointments are currently booking up to six weeks out, double the wait time in September 2023!

If you would like more information on additional food support services in the community, please talk to a volunteer or staff member. We plan to release an on/off-campus resource database for clients in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

4. Increase availability of halal meat, fish, and fresh fruits/veggies

Unfortunately, these items are more difficult to obtain in the donation supply chain. Food available for free to food banks is often non-perishable (canned, etc), so we have to buy a lot of our meat and fresh produce. As you probably have observed, meat and vegetables have risen the most in price with inflation, so we’re always looking for less expensive options to ensure we can provide you with these items. Halal meats are among our highest food costs and we are keen to partner with a local butcher or other business that can provide discounts or free products.Have more consistency between morning and evening stock

5. Increase the quantity of food one can take

The current CFB guidelines on food allocation are in place to ensure equitable and fair access for all clients. Unfortunately, the campus food security situation is so dire that over 30% of our clients are having to go to other Edmonton food supports at least once a month. If you would like more information on additional food support services, please talk to a staff member. We plan to release an on/off-campus resource database for clients in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! 

6. Have more consistency between morning and evening stock

This is an issue we are actively trying to work through. We are dependent upon a few regular sources of food, including three weekly trips to the Edmonton Food Bank and monthly pallets from Food Banks Alberta, plus food orders from H&W, Sysco, and Wholesale Club to complement what we can’t access for free. This means that every week is a juggling act, trying to ensure we get the timing right but aren’t spending too much or contributing to food waste. For context: in fiscal year 2023 we spent $109,400 on food costs. In fiscal year 2024 we will spend over $190,000 on food costs to meet demand above and beyond what we can access for free.

7. Have easier parking

We have one parking spot, paid for by the Campus Food Bank, and it is usually unbooked! To book a parking spot, please use this link: Parking booking calendar. Please feel free to contact the CFB (780-492-8677; info@campusfoodbank.com) if you’re having trouble booking parking and we will help walk you through it. As the university does not provide the CFB with free parking, this is a cost we’ve taken on ourselves and so we can only provide one parking spot.

8. Improve the appointment booking system

Currently our staff send out a reminder each day for the next day’s appointments. We also offer a texting program - if you are not getting text message reminders and would like to, please let us know!

Please know that we know the Link2Feed system is clunky. Unfortunately, this is the database that all food banks in Canada use, so we cannot switch to another appointment booking system. However, we are working on alternative solutions to offer reminders and confirmations. If you’re a tech nerd and have suggestions, please get in touch!

9. Ensure more quality control (e.g., limit expired products on shelves)

Campus Food Bank staff and volunteers take food safety very seriously. Most dates on food items are best before dates (when stores need to sell items by) not expiry dates. Best before dates tell us when the item will have the best quality if eaten by. These items are often safe to consume after this date. Food Banks Canada standards allow non-perishable food to be given out up to 12 months after this date. Frozen beef, lamb pork, veal, and whole poultry can be given out up to 12 months after this date and frozen poultry pieces can be given out up to 6 months after this date. 

Expiry Dates tell us the item CANNOT be consumed after the date. These dates are printed as “EXP” and are found on things like nutritional supplements and baby formula.

With the hundreds of pounds of food that enter and leave the store each day, sometimes things get missed. We enthusiastically encourage you to report any quality control issue to staff or volunteers at the time you observe them, so we can do our best to solve the issue quickly and make adjustments to our processes as necessary.