THUNDER BAY - Students often face a lot of stressors, but food insecurity should not be one of them. A new pilot project is looking to make shopping for healthy food more accessible to students living on campus by offering something as simple as a free ride to the grocery store.
“Access is one of the biggest factors in food security,” said Rob Strachan, the Students Feeding Change coordinator with Meal Exchange. “As you can see from the campus, there is food available, but it it’s also expensive, it might not be culturally appropriate, and students want to be able to make their own food. It bridges the gap between access to good food.”
The Grocery Bus Service pilot project is offering students at Lakehead University free transportation on a school bus to grocery stores on a weekly basis.
Meal Exchange, the Thunder Bay Food Strategy Committee, and Lakehead University Student Union have provided funding for the pilot project and Strachan said it was developed as part of a Students Feeding Change initiative.
“One of the things students highlighted the need for was a bus service to take them to and from grocery stores back to campus,” he said. “It’s difficult for them to carry grocery bags on a city bus or it’s $30 or $40 for a taxi cab.”
The first Grocery Bus left campus on Saturday and transported more than 15 students to Superstore, Walmart, and the Country Market.
The service will be offered on a weekly basis every Saturday, with the bus making two trips between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with an additional day next week on Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The goal is to transport at least 15 students per busload and if those numbers are met, Strachan said it could become a permanent service to students.
“Meal exchange found that more than 36 per cent of students at Lakehead were food insecure,” Strachan said. “It’s not surprising. We get students from all over the world and all over Canada who come here for higher education and it costs a lot of money. So the less money students have to spend on food, the more food insecure they are.”
For exchange student, Danil Ar, the service is definitely welcomed, especially with colder weather already here.
“For the students it’s important because sometimes going for groceries is difficult,” he said. “For example, I have to walk. It takes 20 minutes of walking. With this weather, it is so difficult. So this bus helps a lot.”
“I prefer to cook by myself so I can enjoy my own food,” he added. “I can do whatever I want.”
Students are welcomed to catch the bus every Saturday, but are encouraged to register ahead of time by contacting Strachan at rob@mealexchange.comor Victoria Pullia at foodstrategyadmin@ecosuperior.org.
