Impact to Date
- 1600+ boxes delivered
- 410+ students served
- $35k+ in funds raised to tackle food insecurity
- Financial aid and food resources guide developed
- 10 solidarity partnerships formed with UofT and community organizations
UofT Emergency Food Bank
A joint initiative by students and staff - sponsored by the UofT community
Please note our request form opens on Sundays at noon and closes by Thursday at 10am or when our limit is reached. Additional resources are also available depending on your area and need.
Our initiative is commmited to serving all students (registered or otherwise) and recent alumni. Please see our section titled 'Commitment to Accessibility' to learn more.
A Contactless Food Bank for Students
The COVID-19 crisis has amplified an existing problem for students at UofT and across Canada: food insecurity. Student poverty, a lack of economic opportunity and the closure of the University's only food bank can only worsen the problem. Students and staff from various unions, student groups and faculties have partnered to provide a safe way for food-insecure students to access healthy food during difficult times. We do so by providing food boxes and resources on financial aid.
How It Works
Every week registered and non-registered students (including recent alumni) can sign up to receive a large Good Food box or small Good Food box containing fresh produce. Students can continously register for as long as they need food. Information is provided to FoodShare by our volunteers in order to faciliate ordering and shipping. Please note we can only support 50 students per week on a first-come, first-serve basis. The form may close early if we reach our limit. The form re-opens every Sunday at noon.
Commitment to Accessibility
If for any reason the information we request poses a barrier to accessing this service, please send us an email with your name and address and we will provide a box. If you are not comfortable with sharing your address, we can also provide a giftcard using only your name and UofT email. As long as you self-identify as a member of the UofT community, we are committed to providing you with access to food to the best of our abilities. We welcome any and all feedback on how we can improve our service and reduce barriers wherever possible.
Goals and Impact
Our immediate goal is to ensure that students have consistent access to food. Our long-term goal is to advocate for economic justice through food justice. Recognizing that food insecurity is a symptom of financial hardship, we are actively developing our program to deliver better services, collect and share research data, establish strategic partnerships with diverse stakeholders, and generate meaningful and progressive dialgoue regarding equitable access to education as it pertains to the barriers created by financial hardship.
Impact to Date
'Feeding the Student Movement' Program
Our team has recently launched a food honoraria program that aims to support students who participate in online programming focusing on social justice and equity (e.g. workshops, panel discussions, etc.). In providing a food honoria, we are limiting a financial barrier that often prohibits students in need from participating in equity and social justice seeking movements. Contact us if your UofT group/organization/community is interested in collaborating.
Events we've sponsored
Partners and Sponsors
This initiative is made possible by the efforts and generosity of the following organizations.
Please consider contacting us if you'd like to support it through a partnership or sponsorship. We also accept financial donations.
FoodShare
Food provider, logistical and in-kind support ($16000)
Association of Part-time Undergradute Students
Advisory, outreach and financial support ($13000)
CUPE 3902
Advisory, outreach and financial support ($5000)
University of Toronto - School of Cities
Advisory, outreach and financial support ($1000)
University of Toronto - School of Graduate Studies
Advisory and financial support ($2000)
University of Toronto - Department of Philosophy
Financial Support ($500)
Engineers Without Borders Toronto
Volunteer, outreach and financial support ($6000)
Trek for Teens
Volunteer and outreach support
Our Team
This initiative is led by the following project organizers:
Media
Publicity and news articles regarding this initiative.
Food Security: The Key to Student Self-fulfillment
A blog post releasing the findings of a report on student food security lists the UofT Emergency Food Bank as a resource.
Hunger and Our Communities: Organization Highlight
Junior Researchers: Azra Alavi, Hannah Klemmensen, Olivia Rodrigo and Yusra Khalid highlight community organizations tackling food insecurity.
Op-ed: How we’re tackling student food insecurity through COVID-19
U of T Emergency Food Bank members (Adam and Amaial) on the systemic nature of poverty
SofC Fellow leads an initiative to create UofT Emergency Food Bank
With the closing down of the only Food Bank at UofT, 2020 Student Fellow Adam El-Masri, with support from a group of similarly driven U of T students, put into motion the creation of a UofT Emergency Food Bank for economically vulnerable students.