When Asha R. received her acceptance letter from the University of Waterloo, it felt like a giant step toward a promising future. But just a few months into her first year, reality hit hard: Asha was struggling financially. Without assistance from her family, and despite working a part-time job on top of a full courseload, Asha could barely make rent.
She isn't alone. Increasingly, post-secondary students are grappling with the rising costs of tuition, housing, food and other expenses while earning little or even no income. In 2021, a survey of 13 Canadian campuses found that 56.8 percent of post-secondary students were moderately to severely food insecure, which can be defined as uncertain or inadequate access to nutritious food due to financial constraints'.
Food insecurity disproportionately affects students from equity-deserving groups, including Indigenous, Black and other racialized students, international students, 2SLGBTQAI+ and students with disabilities.
The starving student' stereotype suggests that food affordability is just part of the university experience; a harmless rite of passage. But living with food insecurity is about more than occasionally having to eat ramen noodles or mac and cheese it's an ongoing struggle that impacts students' academic performance as well as their mental and physical well-being.
"The cost of tuition, textbooks and rent are fixed, so food is one of the few things I can cut back on," explained Asha. Her tight budget has sometimes meant skipping meals and the occasional trip to the campus food bank.
The Food Support Service, run by the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA), collects food and hygiene products through donation bins and other fundraising initiatives, then provides the goods free of charge to members of the campus community who are in need.
"It's been a lifesaver for me, for sure, but because of high demand, there's a limit of four food hampers per month," said Asha.
Goldi Gill, Executive Director of Campus Wellness at UWaterloo, said the university has taken an important step toward addressing food insecurity on campus. "The Waterloo Fund, which is entirely supported by charitable donations, is providing a significant boost this year to WUSA's Food Support Service. This initiative reflects our long-term commitment to ensuring all students have access to the resources they need to thrive. While there's much more work to do, this is one small but meaningful move toward building a more food-secure campus."
Indigenous students have daily access to nutritious snacks provided by the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre (WISC). WISC also provides weekly Soup & Bannock lunches during the fall and winter terms and monthly during the spring term. In the summer and fall, the UW Farm Market offers fresh, locally sourced produce at fair prices. And a community fridge recently installed at Renison University College has proven popular with students. But these resources don't go far enough.
Melissa Potwarka, Waterloo's Associate Director of Health Promotion, explains, "We need to address the availability of and access to affordable, nutritious, culturally acceptable and safe food for all students. That's why we've created the Food Security Strategy Committee to set out a holistic, inclusive, sustainable approach to ensure students like Asha have the resources they need to thrive not just survive in their academic journeys."
Asha's story is a powerful reminder that food insecurity isn't a "rite of passage", but a barrier that too many students face. "I'm proud to be at university, but no student should have to sacrifice their health just to get an education."
