Food bank appointments coming to Cape Breton University to manage long lineups

Some students at Cape Breton University are getting by on very little and that's creating high demand for a student-run food bank at the Sydney, N.S., campus.  

The campus food bank is now allowing students to book ahead so they won't have to wait in line only to find the 50-person daily allotment is already gone.

Damanpreet Singh is president of the CBU Students' Union, which operates the service using some of its budget as well as funding from the provincial government and community donations.

"Because this is a small town and most of our students are here without jobs, they are totally dependent on the food bank service," Singh said. 

"It was challenging for students to travel personally — wait in a lengthy line for hours and sometimes return empty handed."

Roughly 100 students seek help each day so the 50 packages go quickly. Each bag handed out contains things such as cereal, granola bars, pasta and sauces. Each bag contains food worth between $9 and $12.

To help students get food supplies more efficiently, CBU Students' Union is now offering appointments on a first-come, first-serve basis. The booking program will begin online Monday.

Singh said each student can receive one package per week, and will be notified about their pickup time within 48 hours. 

Karen Theriault, spokesperson for Feed Nova Scotia, says the CBU program is not the only one looking to change the way it helps those in need. 

Trying new methods

"Every front-line agency is really trying to explore different options for how they can best meet the needs in their community while balancing and managing the resources that they have," Theriault said. 

Theriault said that no matter how much food is handed out, local groups are not the ones who can fix social challenges that lead to food insecurity. 

"We're going to keep doing everything we can to make sure food is there to help, but we need to look at the root causes and that really is largely rooted in inadequate incomes," she said. 

Feed Nova Scotia had to buy food last year instead of relying on donations as inflation and the rising cost of groceries led to an increase in demand for its services. The organization says it spent about $1 million on food last fiscal year and expects to spend even more this year.

Theriault said the demand for food services is particularly high in Cape Breton, where 3,300 people accessed their food banks in January — 65 per cent more compared to the same time last year.

Singh says the students' union is looking at adding new options next year, such as breakfast and meal programs. He said the goal is to keep students from going hungry. 

"We need more food to make more food packages, but we also need space and staff to expand the food bank," Singh said. 

"So, we need more money for that."