The DSU Food Bank has been operating in the basement of Dalhousie’s Student Union Building for 10 years. The food bank allows students to access food assistance anonymously and serves 150 people a week on average. Eighty-nine per cent of food bank users are students.
Louis Holman, the manager and only employee of the food bank, said that the number of people using the food bank has “definitely increased a lot” in the last few years.
Holman started working for the food bank in August.
“I have volunteered at other free meal halls and food banks and have experienced food insecurity myself,” he said. “I just know how important it is to have consistent access to quality food and how it’s so much harder now with the economy and rising prices.”
People are only allowed to access the food bank once a week.
“I know that people do need a lot more food, but with our capacity, we are only able to help folks every seven days,” Holman said.
Most of the food bank’s supply, and all of the produce, comes from Feed Nova Scotia, which distributes food to 140 food banks throughout the province. It gives the DSU Food Bank an average of 300 to 550-kilograms of products a week.
“We would not be able to have fresh vegetables or fruits without them,” said Holman. “Feed Nova Scotia also gives us a lot of frozen meats.”
The Dal Office of Advancement holds an annual Giving Tuesday fundraiser to help fund the food bank.
“This past year was incredible,” Holman said. “They were able to raise $138,000 for us and The Food Pantry [the food bank on Dalhousie’s Truro campus]. This was our most successful year.”
Despite the advancement office’s funding assistance, Holman said the food bank is struggling with rising grocery prices. The rising prices also mean Feed Nova Scotia has less food to redistribute to individual food banks.
“Feed Nova Scotia gets donations from grocery stores that are trying to squish their margins, so they are donating less food because they have less food that is about to go bad,” he said.
The food bank also distributes hygiene products, which, according to Holman, are some of the most needed items.
“Stuff like sanitary pads, toothpastes, toothbrushes, are super critical. If you are struggling to purchase food, you are also struggling to purchase self-care items,” he said.
Student volunteers
More than 30 student volunteers from Dalhousie and the University of King’s College help Holman run the food bank.
Kushal Panchal has been volunteering at the food bank since March 2024.
“The work has allowed a chance to interact with individuals of various backgrounds and be part of initiatives that directly affect the student population,” Panchal said. “It is a rewarding way of giving back while remaining engaged with the campus community.”
According to Panchal, misconceptions about food banks remain strong.
“A common myth I have heard is that food banks distribute low-quality food, which is completely wrong,” he said. “All volunteers take personal care that each food item is fresh and good to consume.”
Accessing assistance
The DSU Food Bank is open in the afternoon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
“Thursdays specifically are Dal only days,” Holman said. “We usually have a lot more variety because it is our delivery day. We give that benefit to Dal students.”
Holman wants to spread awareness to students that there is a food bank on campus.
“We have our donation barrels in the building, but we want to try to extend that to other places on campus so that we are able to collect more donations and raise awareness that there is a food bank,” he said.
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