George Brown College has renewed its commitment to fight food insecurity with a $250,000 donation to the Student Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) run by the Student Association.
The pandemic created challenges for students but especially for those facing food insecurity. Lockdowns, job losses and rising costs at the grocery store mean many are eating less than they should and are having difficulty accessing nutritious and culturally appropriate foods. George Brown donated $250,000 to SNAP in 2021 and recently renewed its commitment with funding for 2022.
"We’re proud to continue our support of SNAP in its fight against food insecurity,” said Dr. Chris McGrath, Vice-President, Student Success. “It’s hard to concentrate on your studies when you are worried about feeding yourself and those you care for. The SNAP team continues to do amazing work to ensure students receive compassionate and dignified help when they need it most.”
The SNAP program adapted to ensure students who relied on its service in 2021 received the help they needed, including food hamper deliveries or contactless pickups and grocery cards, while navigating the range of public health measures such as stay-at-home orders and lockdowns. The program delivered 88,000 pounds of food and 2,783 e-food hampers and emergency grocery cards last year. SNAP’s vital services continue at all three campuses in 2022 with financial help from the college.
“We believe that students should not have to choose between buying textbooks and buying food,” said Ronnie Cruz, the Student Association’s Community Services Coordinator. “That drives our endless work to create a just and meaningful food access program across all campuses.”
How to access SNAP’s services
SNAP operates a food pantry and food hamper service and also provides a range of other services, including events programming and community referrals.
Visit studentassociation.ca/snap to learn more.
