Camosun College Student Society sponsored content
The Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) operates a food bank at both campuses—with help from its partners at the Mustard Seed and Capital Region Food Share Network—where Camosun students in need can access non-perishable food items for free.
The CCSS food banks are located at both CCSS offices. At Lansdowne, the food bank is in the Fisher Building, and at Interurban, it’s in the Campus Centre. The CCSS asks that students limit themselves to two items daily to accommodate the high demand for the service.
Last winter, the CCSS was also able to offer pop-up food markets at both campuses. This initiative was made possible by student fundraising led by the hospitality management students, who have contributed greatly to the food bank.
The CCSS also partnered with the Criminal Justice program last month. The students held a stone soup day by donation, as well as a food drive. This event was met with enthusiasm and raised $1,200 to fund continuing food bank efforts as well as receiving many non-perishable donations.
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 (donors will receive a tax receipt).
Foodbank initiatives are also ongoing. A current group of students in a Business 485 class are hosting a food drive as part of a class project. Likewise, this month the CCSS will be hosting a college-wide food drive in all departments. This drive will run from the week of November 18 until the week of December 9. This is the third year that this food drive has been running, and the CCSS hopes to see the same passion to help students yet again.
“This past 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 the 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 as well, including the bread and produce program. Every Thursday, alternating between Lansdowne and Interurban, the CCSS offers free bread and produce—donated by Jeneece Place and The Food Share Network—to students. The CCSS asks that students please respect the limit of one loaf or one bag of bread and produce each week to make sure there is enough bread for everyone.
This program is made possible with the assistance of our wonderful volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering with us and are available on Thursday mornings from 10 am to 12 pm, please email ccssplan@camosun.ca.
The holidays can be a particularly difficult time, but the CCSS hopes to lighten the load with its holiday food hampers. Every December, the Student Society assembles and distributes holiday hampers to students in need. This year the student society has decided to distribute the hampers via lottery. This is due to the fact that last year all the hampers were snapped up in less than three hours; the CCSS hopes this will make distribution more accessible and fairer to students. If you’re a Camosun student in need of a food hamper, keep an eye on the CCSS social media the week of November 18 to register. The CCSS will open up the registration link for two days and will then notify students who will receive a hamper. Hampers will be available to pick up in the first week of December.
For more resources, visit the CCSS website at camosunstudent.org and navigate to “foodbank” under the “services” tab. Here 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.