Camosun College Student Society sponsored content
Groceries cost more than ever and times are tough—we all know that. But what you might not know is that the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) offers a helping hand through its food bank services.
The CCSS operates a food bank at both campuses—with help from its partners at the Mustard Seed and Capital Region Food Share Network—where any Camosun student can get non-perishable food items for free.
The food banks are located at the CCSS offices. At Lansdowne, the food bank is in the Fisher Building; at Interurban, it’s in the Campus Centre Building. The CCSS asks that students limit the amount they take to two items per day.
The food bank also operates with help from community donations—those wishing to donate can do so through the Camosun Foundation by visiting webservices.camosun.ca/foundation/camosun-cares.
The CCSS has also partnered with various college students and departments recently, including Hospitality Management and Criminal Justice, to hold events with proceeds going to the food bank.
“This spring, the CCSS conducted a food insecurity survey which revealed what we already knew—a lot of students, both domestic and international, go hungry in order to pay for their education,” says CCSS food bank coordinator Christine Desrochers. “We’re fortunate to have some amazing partners, but there is still so much unmet need here at Camosun.”
The results of that survey indicated that need was spread across both domestic and international students. 14 percent of students indicated they had trouble accessing adequate food every day, and 38 percent of students indicated they knowingly made poor nutrition choices every time they shopped due to cost.
The CCSS offers other food-related services, such as its bread program. Every Thursday, alternating between Lansdowne and Interurban, the CCSS offers free bread—donated by Jeneece Place—to students. The CCSS asks that students please respect the limit of one loaf or one bag of bread each week to make sure there’s enough bread for everyone who wants some.
Over the past six weeks, the CCSS has been offering a series of fresh produce giveaways at no cost to students. The last one for this semester will be Wednesday, April 3 at Camosun’s Lansdowne campus.
“This year, we’ve seen a sharp increase in students accessing our food security resources,” says CCSS health & wellness officer Kyle Jones. “With the cost of living skyrocketing, something has to give. Unfortunately, that can mean poor nutrition choices or going without for our students.”
The holidays can be a particularly difficult time, but the CCSS helps to lighten the load a bit with its holiday food hampers. Every December, the student society assembles and distributes the holiday hampers for students in need. If you’re a Camosun student in need of a food hamper, keep an eye on the CCSS social media in the first couple weeks of November to sign up. There are a limited number of hampers available at each campus, and they’re available to pick up in the first week of December.
For more resources, if you go to the CCSS website at camosunstudent.org and navigate to “foodbank” under “services” you will find a link to the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness’ Street Survival Guide, which includes a list of community resources for students facing food insecurity.
You can also drop by the CCSS office at either campus to pick up a copy of the Food Security Programs for Students brochure. This is a great resource for students facing food insecurity.
If you have any questions about the CCSS food bank and related programs, contact the CCSS Benefits Officer at ccssplan@camosun.ca.