The U of A Community Pantry needs YOU!
Hunger is at an all-time high at University of Alberta. In the last five years, the Campus Food Bank has gone from supporting 100 families per month to 1,000 families per month. In January 2024, we supported a record 1,790 individuals.
The U of A Community Pantry opened in Rutherford Library in January 2024 after a year of planning. The Pantry is meant to fill a specific gap in food access on campus: confidential, anonymous, and drop-in access to healthy food. CFB clients who shop at our food bank must register, and are limited to coming once every two weeks. Our appointments are fully booked for the next six weeks, although we do save a few appointments for emergency access each day.
The Pantry has so much potential: to be a resource for clients in between appointments, and to offer food access to folks who may not want to register as a client with us or don’t feel they have enough food needs to register. However, as the CFB is so overwhelmed with meeting spiking demand in our food bank program, we are depending on the U of A community to fill the pantry.
There are two primary ways you can support the pantry as a member of the U of A community:
Keep the Pantry in mind when you go shopping!
Especially if you often to go Costco or Wholesale, pick up an extra few cases of food for the Pantry. We have created a sample shopping list of items that are in high demand, and we also keep a running list of user requests left on the white board in the Pantry. To drop off food, just make sure that Rutherford Library is open and that you have your ONEcard with you to access the pantry.
Adopt a Week of the Pantry with your department, office, community group, etc!
We are looking for units, departments, student groups, and other collections of people who are willing to adopt the pantry for one week. Adopting the pantry means committing to collectively fundraise, then purchase and drop off food throughout the week by sharing the work within your group and broader networks. You can read all about the experience in our Adopt-a-Week Guide for Supporters before signing up. The Campus Food Bank team has developed resources and guidance for logistics and promotions that will be shared once you sign up.
You can also help by sharing this post among your contacts and by referring students and others facing hunger to the Pantry and to Campus Food Bank.
Thank you for your solidarity and support!
The Campus Food Bank team
