Food for Thought: Fighting Food Insecurity on Campus

Welcome to the last segment of our one-episode podcast!In this podcast, we were able to highlight 6 diverse student perspectives, representing different aspects of campus life and knowledge on food. We would like to sincerely express our gratitude to Alexei, Parker, Sep, Troy, Ethan and Andie for sharing their thoughts and insights on campus food insecurity.If you’re facing food insecurity or struggling to make ends meet, don’t hesitate to visit the AMS Food Bank, Sprouts Cafe or check out the UBC Food Hub and Campus Nutrition for more resources.This segment's cover was retrieved from the Food at UBC Vancouver webpage, highlighting the UBC Food Hub Market, which aims to provide low cost groceries for the UBC-V community, particularly students. Follow @ubcfoodhubmarket for more updates.Click here If you would like to read our written article titled 'Food for Thought Podcast: Want to Know More?'Thank you for joining us. This was Food for Thought!

This segment of our one-episode podcast is hosted by Ian and Janae. This segment features Andie Bartolome, a fifth-year International Economics student and the Associate Vice President, Sustainability of Alma Mater Society. Tune in as Andie talks about the initiatives and policies of the AMS related to promoting food sustainability and food justice. Andie also shares about her thoughts on why student inclusion is important in decision making when it comes to solving food insecurity at UBC. "[W]hen you really look at the meaning of sustainability, it is really making the world liveable for the next generations to come, and part of that is ensuring that we also they have enough to eat, so that's how I think a large [part] of food security/insecurity falls under sustainability work," says Andie.This segment's cover was retrieved from the Food at UBC Vancouver webpage, showing the three climate-friendly food labels that are being implemented in the AMS Student Nest food outlets.Additionally, to learn more about AMS Sustainability and the AMS Sustainable Action Plan 2026, click here.

This segment of our one-episode podcast is hosted by Ian and Janae. This segment features Ethan Lui, a fourth-year International Relations student and a volunteer at the AMS Food Bank. Tune in as Ethan shares his insights on campus food insecurity based on his experience as a volunteer for the Food Bank and as a researcher for similar initiatives. "Food insecurity is always an income problem. It’s not a scarcity of food problem," says Ethan.This segment's cover was retrieved from the AMS Food Bank page, showing one of the volunteers holding food offerings available to student clients. According to the AMS Services Report 2023/24, the Food Bank saw a total of 25,241 visits from May 2023–April 2024, an increase from 16,253 the previous year.To learn more about the AMS Food Bank and the services it provides, click here.

This segment of our one-episode podcast is hosted by Ian and Janae. This segment features Troy Chong, a sixth-year Microbiology and Immunology student and a Community Eats Assistant at the Sprouts Cafe. Tune in as Troy discusses some of the initiatives, challenges faced, and practices used at the Sprouts Cafe. Troy also offers his thoughts on why it is important for students to get involved in food security advocacy on campus. "Food insecurity applies to everyone... it's not just about one particular group... You shouldn't [have to say] I don't deserve this meal because there is someone else worse off... Everyone deserves that right."This segment's cover was retrieved from a Ubyssey article in October 2022, headlined with "Sprouts reopens, with student excitement but reduced space.", To learn more about the Sprouts Cafe, visit their website or follow their social media page.

This segment of our one-episode podcast is hosted by Joyce and Ian. This segment features Sepehr Kamal, a UBC alumni who co-founded Campus Nutrition as a student in 2019. Tune in as Sep provides his insights on campus food insecurity, and shares his experience as a founder of a non-profit organization that aims to provide solutions in food affordability and availability on campus. “There shouldn’t be a need for so many student-led initiatives on this issue. It’s frustrating,” says Sep when asked about food security initiatives at UBC.This segment's cover was retrieved from the Campus Nutrition (CN) website, showing one of the volunteers wearing a CN shirt and holding CN stickers.

This segment of our one-episode podcast is hosted by Joyce and Jane. This segment features Parker Haga, a third-year International Relations student at UBC. Tune in as Parker shares about her experience as an international student in France (Sciences Po), and their thoughts on campus food insecurity as a student who have worked for NGOs such as United Way BC and A Better Life Foundation. Parker states that "some interesting things I found [United Way BC] were doing... were to have more wrap-around services. Things aren't just directly related to food, but access to things... even if it's like counselling to other resources... I think they are all interconnected...".This segment's cover was retrieved from UBC Wellbeing's Food + Nutrition page, which offers an insight on how the university is tackling the issue of food insecurity through the UBC Wellbeing Framework of the UBC Strategic Plan.

This segment of our one-episode podcast is hosted by Joyce. This segment features Alexei Villareal, a fourth-year English Honours and History student and an on-call volunteer at the Sprouts Cafe. Tune in as Alexei provides his thoughts on campus food insecurity as a student who participated in the Hungry for Change Walkout, organized by Sprouts in 2022. "I do feel like the organizations we have on campus have showed time and time again that they are trying to hold the institution accountable," says Alexei.This segment's cover was retrieved from the Sprouts Cafe's social media page, showing one of the participants holding a sign that says "food justice is served." Tune in to Segment 5 to learn more about the operations and services provided by Sprouts.To learn more about the Hungry for Change Walkout on October 2022, click here.

Welcome to Food for Thought, the show where we dive into one of the biggest issues affecting UBC students today – food insecurity. In 2024, 51% of the 4,148 AMS Academic Experience Survey respondents reported feelings of worry that they would not be able to afford adequate groceries as students.As the Government of Canada defines it, “food insecurity is the inability to acquire or consume an adequate diet quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so.” The page also adds that “household food insecurity is often linked with the household's financial ability to access adequate food.”.In this podcast, we will be discussing the issue of food insecurity at the University of British Columbia, and the many different impactful ways on how UBC students are fighting hunger on campus. Throughout our episodes, we will be joined by student advocates and volunteers who have contributed to the student-led movement against campus food insecurity. This includes folks from Campus Nutrition, Sprouts Cafe, and our student union, the Alma Mater Society.While the university experience is often depicted as a time of socializing and growth, for many students, food insecurity is a very real struggle. The UBC Food Hub reports that food insecurity has significant impacts on mental, physical and social wellbeing and educational attainment. Arlin Cuncic (Sun-sik) of verywellmind writes that the “signs of food insecurity include skipping meals; reducing portion sizes at meal times; having to choose between paying for food and other basic needs such as rent or electricity; relying on food pantries, soup kitchens, and free meal programs; and being unable to afford a balanced diet.”This multi-segmented, one-episode podcast is hosted by Joyce Park, Janae Lam, and Ian Caguiat and was produced for JRNL 200: Journalism Here & Now (Fall 2024). This segment's cover was retrieved from the Food at UBC Vancouver page, showing gourmet salads available at Harvest Market, a UBC-operated grocery market on campus.