For many students attending post secondary education institutions, having access to reliable and affordable food sources can be a challenge; after tuition, housing and books, many are finding that skipping meals is one way to help make ends meet. With that in mind, Humber College, is starting a Pay-what-you-can soup bar to make sure its students are getting food for the body as well as the brain.
In partnership with Humber’s IGNITE student union and Feed it Forward the college is launching Soupbar, an on-campus pay-what-you-can soup bar to address the issue of food insecurity faced by many each year. This is the first of its kind at a Canadian post-secondary institution. The mission is to alleviate student hunger on-campus and the objective of the program is to provide nutritious meals to any student who needs food. This is accomplished by redirecting unconsumed food not intended for resale to create delicious meals. Soupbar will help feed students and reduce food waste across campus
IGNITE is the student union representing more than 33,000 full-time Humber College and University of Guelph-Humber students. “IGNITE understands the challenges that some students may face on a daily basis, including being able to afford meals and other school-related expenses,” said Monica Khosla, president, IGNITE. “As advocates for Humber and the University of Guelph-Humber students, we are proud to be part of this first of its kind service that will make food more accessible and affordable for those who need it the most.”
Chef Jagger Gordon
Feed it Forward is a non-profit organization that rescues over 1000 pounds of food per week from Ontario grocery stores, farmers, bakeries, distributors and restaurants. This is food that would otherwise go to landfills. They operate the first Pay What You Can Grocery Store, Bakery and Coffee Shop, located at 3324 Dundas St. West in Toronto and partner with community groups, farmers, corporations and schools to provide organic and healthy meals to people who need help, on a pay what you can basis. Started by Chef Jagger Gordon, the store is the first of its kind and has made headlines internationally.
Students will get to try Soupbar for the first time this Tuesday, September 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Humber College’s Café LinX. After that Soupbar will operate every Tuesday and Thursday during those lunch hours. Soups on the menu include nutritious and hearty standbys like chicken noodle, Italian wedding soup, stews, vegetable soups and Gazpacho
Italian Wedding Soup
The launch event will include remarks and a ribbon-cutting by Chef Jagger Gordon, Founder, Feed it Forward, Monica Khosla and Jason Hunter, Humber’s Vice-President, Student & Community Engagement. This is a laudable initiative on all fronts, one that will nourish the student body, especially once the winter winds come a blowin’. We give this feel-good and taste-good initiative five out of five stars!