New 'pay what you can' cafe at Queen's University helps support students
Some Queen’s University students are feeling the impact of high food costs, and a report shows they are not sure where their next meal is going to come from.
A new pilot project on campus has been set up to help with that - with a ‘pay what you can’ model.
It’s called The PEACH Market, which stands for Providing Equal Access Changing Hunger Market.
Customers can order what they would like on the day’s menu, and pay either $1, $3, or $5, or simply state what they can afford based on their budget that day.
Tina Hu is the vice-president of operations with the Alma Mater Society. She says it’s been set up in partnership between the student government organization, and the school’s hospitality services.
It has to help student’s affected by rising food costs and inflation.
"It’s super affordable and it targets a really unique group on campus," she explains. "Especially with students who don’t have full time jobs, or are just becoming independent from their families."
Volunteers run The PEACH Market three days a week.
"Any food that hasn’t been taken from the dining rooms is 'rescued' and brought to PEACH - and that’s our inventory," she explains.
A recent survey done at Queen’s University shows 13 per cent of students who completed the survey reported going hungry because they did not have enough money for food. Twenty-four per cent of students reported that they sometimes or often worried whether their food would run out before they received money to buy more.
Theresa Couto, who is with Queen’s Hospitality Services, says the rates shown were high.
"And they’re only rising with increasing food costs," she explains.
Couto says many students also reported that they didn’t feel comfortable using food banks.
"The implications of food insecurity are quite substantial. From physical implications and mental health implications and, of course, it will impact academic performance," she explains. "So they don’t have to worry about how to access nutritious food."
The pilot project began in September, and Hu says more than 300 meals have been given out since then.
The pilot project will run until the end of the school year.
"We wanted to remove the stigma that is addressing food insecurity," she explains. "We’re really happy and proud to have brought it together."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Millions of cyberattacks per hour as B.C. government investigates multiple breaches
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
New 'Lord of the Rings' film coming in 2026
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.