South Asian international students most likely to access food bank at Conestoga College: survey

Being able to afford food, rent and tuition can be difficult for all students, especially as the general cost of living continues to rise. For international students, the issue comes with a unique set of challenges. 

To help offset some of the costs, Conestoga Students Inc., a student association at Conestoga College, is offering international students access to the Student Nutritional Access Program (SNAP).

International students like Aastha Pandit said the on-campus food bank helps her make ends meet every month.

"Mentally, you're always on the run when you're [an] international student," she said.

"Juggling part-time work, full-time courses, your commute and the weather here in Canada, especially, is not very predictable. So you have so many things to do: You have to cook for yourself, you have to buy groceries for yourself, everything you have to do on your own," she said.

Tony Sabu, who is also an international student at the college, said he can relate to Pandit's daily juggle.

"There was a period of time where I was jobless," he said. "I was living very frugally. I did not have much money in my account. So I applied to the SNAP program, and they gave me some hampers and gift cards so I could buy food from sellers."

Sabu and Pandit said they experienced food insecurity for the first time after they moved to Kitchener as international students from India.

"Back home, we never had any food difficulties," Sabu said. "I come from an agricultural family, so we never used to buy stuff from outside. So after coming to Canada, it was a new thing for me to buy everything for myself."

He said before finding out about the on-campus food assistance program, he used to spend about $25 a month on groceries. The SNAP program provides students like Sabu with a $125 monthly gift card for local grocery stores.

Sabu said he saves money by cutting down on snacks and eating out.

"We don't get time to cook a proper meal [in Canada]," he said. "[In Kerala], we used to eat staple foods. For breakfast, we had tapioca. Then we had fish curry and beef curry. I can't afford that here — but some days I go to a Kerala restaurant and have that."

South Asian international students most in need

In the fall of 2023, 556 students signed up to receive support from the on-campus food bank. According to survey results collected through Conestoga's SNAP program, 400 of those students (72 per cent) identified as South Asian, and 537 of the survey respondents (96.5 per cent) said they were international students.

A little over half of those surveyed (283 respondents) said they were experiencing food insecurity because of a lack of family support.

Rachael McCullough, who helps run the food assistance program, said the need has continued to increase.

"We did hit some roadblocks with students not really knowing how to cook with canned food," McCullough said. "So we added more fresh vegetables. Then we had logistical issues like housing the produce because our food bank is really small. It was just bursting at the seams."

McCullough said that's when it was decided to transition away from running a traditional food bank and offer students monthly gift cards instead. She said making the move also gave students the freedom to choose to buy groceries that were more in line with their dietary restrictions or cultural norms.

Staff members also recognized the mental health impact on students forced to ask for help.

Monica Suljovic, who also helps run the program, said steps are taken to make sure nobody feels ashamed or stigmatized.

"We try to keep it as discreet as possible," Suljovic said.

"It's all via email, and no one will see their application form, except for our food bank leaders. They can come at a time that is convenient to them to pick up a gift card. There's no questions asked. They can just pick it up and go," she said.

Funding for the gift cards comes from student association fees and donations. Partnerships with local businesses also help provide students with coupons and deals at local restaurants and grocery stores.

Sounds of the Season is our annual holiday fundraiser in support of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Our goal is to raise money, donations and awareness for those facing food insecurity in Kitchener-Waterloo.