Food Collective Centre re-opens in the Hub

The FCC provides access to a community kitchen, food bank and now a fridge offering non-perishable items after relocating to the Hub

Following the closure of the McMaster community fridge, the Food Collective Centre has resumed in-person operations after relocating from the basement of Bridges Cafe to the Hub.

As of Oct. 1, students can visit the FCC food bank, located on the third floor of The Hub, to access both non-perishable and perishable food items as well as hygiene products, free of charge. The food bank is open Monday to Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  

The FCC is a student-run food bank and resource of the MSU. It aims to combat and alleviate rising food insecurity among students. The FCC also aims to raise awareness about the stigma surrounding food insecurity.

Ella Ying, the FCC director, spoke about the transition of the FCC from Bridges Cafe to The Hub. “It is very important for us to just share that these resources do exist within the McMaster community … when we were back in Bridges, not a lot of people knew … it was not quite as accessible as the Hub,” said Ying. 

With the move to the Hub, the FCC is also repurposing the community fridge and freezer to store perishable items. Ying noted that while the fridge will function similarly as it did under the former student-run community fridge initiative before it closed, it will now be supervised by the FCC during operating hours. 
 

Ying mentioned that the FCC has also introduced an anonymous tracking system to monitor which items are most popular, with volunteers keeping records of who uses their services while maintaining individual confidentiality. “We are able to ask whether undergraduate or graduate students are using our services more … and even though we have only been open for a week and a half, in the first week, which was only four days of operations, we actually saved students $520 in groceries and we had around 40 people using it on the first week,” said Ying.

Ying noted that this is a significant increase in usage since moving from the basement of the Bridges Cafe, where fewer than 10 students accessed the food bank weekly. 

Ying also noted that food insecurity can take many different forms and does not necessarily mean an immediate need for food. It can also include challenges to accessing affordable organic foods and local produce. “FCC [aims] to target [all aspects of] student life, especially hoping to alleviate food insecurity in every form,” said Ying. 

“A lot of people are worried about, what if I am seen using a food bank or do I deserve to even use a food bank? But we really want to emphasize this year that everyone deserves to use it. If you need to use it, please come to us … this is exactly what we are here for and we have so many different resources that people are still discovering,” said Ying.  

Ying mentioned that the FCC is collaborating with the community garden, where volunteers have been packaging fresh, local produce for students. “I am very excited for people to [have access to this produce] from them and especially since it is fresh, it can prolong the life of the produce as well … I think it is a win for both sides,” said Ying. 

In addition to the food bank and fridge, the FCC provides several support services to the McMaster community. Among these are free monthly cooking workshops open to students, faculty and the broader Hamilton community along with a community kitchen cookbook. Hosted on campus, these workshops offer an accessible space for learning to cook, with all ingredients provided. 

The FCC’s Good Food Box initiative is another service that delivers affordable, fresh produce to the McMaster community on a monthly basis at a discounted price.

For those seeking discreet assistance, the FCC offers the Lockers of Love initiative. This allows students and community members to order non-perishable food items online using an unique code, which they can then pick up from a locker on the first floor of The Hub within five days. 

Throughout the year, the FCC also hosts additional monthly events to raise awareness about food insecurity.

Ying mentioned that among the initiatives planned for this year, the FCC hopes to host a food security conference and collaborate on activities with different cultural groups on campus. They also plan to organize a “Trick-or-Eat” event where they will go door-to-door asking for food donations from students and the nearby Hamilton community. 

For more information on the various FCC initiatives and how to access them, visit their website and social media.