About

Located in the basement of the SUB, the UVSS Food Bank & Free Store is run by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers and offers all UVic students access to food essentials and free household items.

With rising costs of tuition, housing, childcare, and food, we do what we can to provide this essential support to undergrad and grad students. Extra resources are available for students supporting families.

Every week, hundreds of UVic students come to the Food Bank & Free Store. To learn more about how to support our service, scroll on to the ‘Donating’ section. Our yearly usage statistics can be accessed  here.

Students can drop by the UVSS Food Bank & Free Store during posted drop-in hours. All services are totally confidential and all current UVic students are welcome to use this service. Read our guidelines for complete information about our service.

Looking for other support networks in the Greater Victoria area? Check out our resource guide for other food banks, free meals, and more.

History

The Food Bank was created by the UVSS in 2004 to support emergency food access for students. It started as a very small operation run by the Students Society; eventually a  student work study position was hired to coordinate the food bank. In 2014, an official coordinator position was created through a student levy and the Food Bank merged with the free store, creating the UVSS Food Bank & Free Store (FBFS) that we see today. At this time, the space dropped the language of “emergency food bank” to emphasize that students get to choose why and when they use the food bank. This shift also created a more regular, reliable access to food and household goods by operating 40 hours per wood, with up to 20 volunteer each semester.

In 2015 the FBFS started to integrate into the surrounding community. They brought in many community partners and joined local food security networks (including the Food Share Network and CRFAIR).

In 2016, the staff at the FBFS established the UVic Food Hub - a network of student-led, food-focused groups on campus.

The FBFS is now part of the Food Skills Connection, a food literacy organization that offers free workshops. This now robust organization offers fresh food, reliable service and many opportunities to engage in a broader food systems change.

The FBFS usage has increased dramatically over the years; October 2017 saw a total of 1,723 visits, compared to 1040 visits in October 2016. This increase in visits has been able to meet demand through stable donations from grocery stores, food banks, and food drives. The FBFS has also worked tremendously on their waste reduction, reusing over 700 items instead of them being thrown out.

Visions for the future

The FBFS has already expanded tremendously over the years, serving a wider community as well as providing more fresh produce and other household items. Some other visions for the future include:

• A bigger space, being able to hold a larger amount of food and therefore being able to support an even larger community

• A community kitchen to provide a space for people to learn food skills, and cook in a shared space

• Create a more holistic space for food literacy

Information provided by: Jasmine Robertson & Josie Simpson