Post by kelvin on Dec 13, 2008 13:13:22 GMT -5
www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/539496
Ryerson's 'food room' forced to shut doors to those not enrolled after spike in demand
Nov 19, 2008 04:32 AM
Kenyon Wallace
Staff Reporter
Ashley Mathew scans the shelves at Ryerson University's community food room and reaches for a Tetra-pak of orange juice.
She asks one of the student volunteers how much it costs.
"Two for one," replies Ann Ankaman, the food room's co-ordinator, referring to the unique point system that allows students facing financial hardship to "buy" donated food at the university's very own food bank.
Mathew, a third-year social work student, pops a couple of juice boxes into a bag. "I don't have a lot of money so it's great to have this kind of service open for students," says Mathew, 22, adding that she uses the food room once a week. "If you're running low on cash, you're able to get some food free."
Unfortunately, Mathew isn't alone in her financial struggle. The number of students showing up at the food room has increased so dramatically over the past year that the 10-year-old service has been forced to shut its doors to those not currently enrolled at Ryerson.
About 230 students now use the food room weekly – nearly a 30 per cent increase from the last school year. It's a disturbing trend whereby an increasing number of students, financially crippled by school costs, can't afford to buy food.
"I don't know how my life would have been without this food room," says Ankaman, 22, a fourth-year early childhood education student who used the service herself last year. Now that she has moved back in with her parents, she can afford food again. Ankaman says she was so grateful for the service that she wanted to give something back. Earlier this year she applied for the co-ordinator's job and got it.
"This place saved me. It really did," she says emphatically. "At times, you live on potato chips because you can't afford being in school full-time, working part-time and then having to buy a Metropass. There isn't that much at the end of the day to buy food."
Most products available at Ryerson's community food room are non-perishable and are supplied by Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank. The room is funded by all Ryerson students, who, at the beginning of the school year, pay a levy to the students' union. In addition, student groups across campus periodically donate both canned goods and money to the service. Any Ryerson student can use it.
As the food room has no resources to do income assessments, it relies on the honour system.
Rebecca Rose, vice-president for education for the Ryerson students' union, says the real issue is skyrocketing tuition fees. She says Ryerson students are paying 4 to 8 per cent increases every year.
As a result, she says, food rooms are "a growing trend across Canada." York University, the University of Toronto and George Brown College all operate similar programs.
Ankaman paid $5,000 in tuition this year and estimates she spends another $1,200 a year on textbooks. "The money has to come from somewhere," she says. "Students have to make choices when it comes to paying for their education."
For many, those choices include turning to the charity of others.
-----------------
230
Number of students who use Ryerson's food bank each week
30%
Approximate increase in users, compared to last year
Ryerson's 'food room' forced to shut doors to those not enrolled after spike in demand
Nov 19, 2008 04:32 AM
Kenyon Wallace
Staff Reporter
Ashley Mathew scans the shelves at Ryerson University's community food room and reaches for a Tetra-pak of orange juice.
She asks one of the student volunteers how much it costs.
"Two for one," replies Ann Ankaman, the food room's co-ordinator, referring to the unique point system that allows students facing financial hardship to "buy" donated food at the university's very own food bank.
Mathew, a third-year social work student, pops a couple of juice boxes into a bag. "I don't have a lot of money so it's great to have this kind of service open for students," says Mathew, 22, adding that she uses the food room once a week. "If you're running low on cash, you're able to get some food free."
Unfortunately, Mathew isn't alone in her financial struggle. The number of students showing up at the food room has increased so dramatically over the past year that the 10-year-old service has been forced to shut its doors to those not currently enrolled at Ryerson.
About 230 students now use the food room weekly – nearly a 30 per cent increase from the last school year. It's a disturbing trend whereby an increasing number of students, financially crippled by school costs, can't afford to buy food.
"I don't know how my life would have been without this food room," says Ankaman, 22, a fourth-year early childhood education student who used the service herself last year. Now that she has moved back in with her parents, she can afford food again. Ankaman says she was so grateful for the service that she wanted to give something back. Earlier this year she applied for the co-ordinator's job and got it.
"This place saved me. It really did," she says emphatically. "At times, you live on potato chips because you can't afford being in school full-time, working part-time and then having to buy a Metropass. There isn't that much at the end of the day to buy food."
Most products available at Ryerson's community food room are non-perishable and are supplied by Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank. The room is funded by all Ryerson students, who, at the beginning of the school year, pay a levy to the students' union. In addition, student groups across campus periodically donate both canned goods and money to the service. Any Ryerson student can use it.
As the food room has no resources to do income assessments, it relies on the honour system.
Rebecca Rose, vice-president for education for the Ryerson students' union, says the real issue is skyrocketing tuition fees. She says Ryerson students are paying 4 to 8 per cent increases every year.
As a result, she says, food rooms are "a growing trend across Canada." York University, the University of Toronto and George Brown College all operate similar programs.
Ankaman paid $5,000 in tuition this year and estimates she spends another $1,200 a year on textbooks. "The money has to come from somewhere," she says. "Students have to make choices when it comes to paying for their education."
For many, those choices include turning to the charity of others.
-----------------
230
Number of students who use Ryerson's food bank each week
30%
Approximate increase in users, compared to last year