The closure comes in the midst of security and funding issues
The campus community fridge, a vital resource for students, faculty and community members needing free healthy food options, officially closed its doors on Aug. 30, 2024. The decision came after mounting financial challenges, repeated security breaches and ongoing difficulties in maintaining adequate staffing.
The fridge, operated by the Student Wellness Centre, had been a food resource located behind Mills Library for over two years. It provided free, nutritious food to anyone in need, including students, staff and members of the surrounding community.
For many students, the fridge was essential to help provide food amid the rising cost of living. In an interview with The Silhouette, PhD student Val Flores, expressed how the fridge had been a great help throughout their time at McMaster. "It came at a time in my life when I didn't really have a lot of money," said Flores.
It came at a time in my life when I didn't really have a lot of money.
Val Flores, PhD student
Flores, who was diagnosed with diabetes in 2023, shared the struggles of eating healthy with expensive grocery prices and limited food options on campus. "Having the community fridge so I could make my own meals and deal with my own condition . . . It helped me a lot," said Flores.
The McMaster Community Fridge announced on Instagram that the service would be closing as of Aug. 30, 2024. The statement cited "logistical challenges" as the reason.
The community fridge was established in 2022 by a group of third-year student volunteers who wanted to address food insecurity on campus during a sustainability course project. The Student Wellness Centre undertook the project and assumed responsibility for stocking, maintaining and monitoring fridge services.
SWC Program Coordinator Jack Chen provided a detailed account of the challenges plaguing the community fridge initiative in recent years. Funding had become a persistent challenge, with the initiative relying heavily on monetary and food donations. "The years following 2022 showed a pretty exponential decrease in funding from donation . . . we were not able to secure the kind of additional funding needed to support the fridge on a sustainable basis," said Chen.
The years following 2022 showed a pretty exponential decrease in funding from donations …we were not able to secure the kind of additional funding needed to support the fridge on a sustainable basis.
Jack Chen, Program Coordinator
Student Wellness Centre
Staffing and volunteer support have posed further challenges. "We have lots of student volunteers who work on the project and love being part of it . . . But without a dedicated [paid] staff member, it's been challenging to manage everything together," said Chen.
In addition to financial difficulties, security concerns have significantly impacted the fridge's viability. According to Chen, the fridge has faced incidents of theft.
"In the past 12 months, we've experienced quite a few security breaches," said Chen.
These incidents have also highlighted the difficulty of maintaining a free-access resource in a public space while balancing the need for security and safety. Ultimately, the combination of these issues led to the difficult decision to close the community fridge.
Although the community fridge itself will no longer be in operation, the mission to address food insecurity on campus will continue through the Food Collective Centre, a service funded by the McMaster Students Union. The fridge and freezer from the closed community fridge will be repurposed to support the FCC's operations, expanding their service operations to offer both non-perishable and perishable food items.
The FCC, newly located on the 3rd floor of the HUB, has traditionally focused on non-perishable items. This expansion will help maintain the balanced and nutritious offerings previously provided by the community fridge.
"I'm super excited by the expansion of the FCC services to include perishable items. This will continue to help us serve our members and help alleviate food insecurity on campus," said MSU Vice-President (Administration) Adam El-Kadi.
The SWC will provide an initial $1,000 in financial support to the FCC and will evaluate further donations based on the success of the first year of operations.
Organizers of the community fridge have expressed their commitment to supporting those in need, albeit in a different format.
"You can still access the same number of resources, if not more, in this new space [FCC]. It's just in a different spot and a different format," said Chen.
They hope that integrating the FCC into this new model will provide a more sustainable and secure method of distributing food, addressing the challenges that led to the fridge's closure.
As the campus community adjusts to this new food distribution blueprint, the HUB will officially launch the new service space on Oct. 1. Organizers encourage students and staff to stay informed by following @msu_fcc and @mcmastercommunityfridge on Instagram.
Food banks and other food security services, including student-focused ones are struggling to support their users, as food insecurity reaches highest levels amongst both households and students
Food insecurity, that is, lacking the financial means to purchase enough food for an adequate dietary intake, is a growing problem in Hamilton and across Canada.
According to a recent report from Food Banks Canada, more Canadians are accessing food banks in the last few decades than ever before. Hamilton Food Share’s 2022 Hunger Report shared that 46 percent of Hamiltonians who access food banks felt that they would be at risk of losing their homes without the help of food banks.
University students are not excluded among those facing food insecurity. A 2021 survey of university students from 13 institutions across Canada reported that 56.8 per cent of respondents faced food insecurity.
Many organizations both on and off the McMaster University campus, such as food banks and community fridges, have aimed to target growing food insecurity rates and provide resources. At the McMaster Community Fridge, a fridge, freezer and pantry complex located behind Mills Library, students can both leave and take food items according to their needs and abilities.
“The community fridge is focused on the ideas of mutual aid and community care, that we can share both the burdens we face and the resources that we have,” said Dalen Koncz, the liaison for the community fridge.
The community fridge is focused on the ideas of mutual aid and community care, that we can share both the burdens we face and the resources that we have.”
Dalen Koncz, liaison, Community Fridge
Food banks and services such as the community fridge are facing increased stress to ensure that users have access to resources.
“We supplement our food donations with weekly purchases of fresh produce from our monetary donations and even then it’s all gone within a few hours,” said Koncz.
We supplement our food donations with weekly purchases of fresh produce from our monetary donations and even then it’s all gone within a few hours.
Dalen Koncz, liaison, Community Fridge
McMaster's Food Collective Centre, which serves as McMaster's on-campus food bank, is also experiencing strain from rising food insecurity. Zoe Yalung, the assistant director of McMaster FCC, commented on their recent struggle.
"We did an inventory run recently, we filled up all the shelves and the next day there was one of every item left," said Yalung.
Jack Chen, one of the community fridge’s health promoters, stated that there is no shortage of food in Hamilton, Canada, or the world and that a large portion of purchased food is thrown out. According to the UN, 17 percent of food produced globally each year ends up being wasted.
Also recognizing how much food is wasted each year, Koncz encouraged students to leave untouched food items that they know will go bad before they are consumed in the community fridge for other students to take and use.
Chen emphasized that food insecurity is not a problem of being able to grow and produce enough food, but rather with individuals and households not having the financial resources to purchase enough food.
"We're tackling an income issue. We're not tackling a lack of food issue," said Chen.
A major driver behind food insecurity is inflation. The rate at which the dollar decreases in value does not correspond to the rate of increase in wages, resulting in many members of the workforce struggling to keep up with the market. According to the recent report from Food Banks Canada, 17 percent of people accessing food banks are employed.
The current housing crisis is a major contributor in particular. As housing prices continue to increase along with rent, many individuals struggle to allocate finances to putting food on the table.
Koncz also encouraged students to spread awareness to their peers about the high numbers of students facing food insecurity and the support networks available to them.
In the face of this rising problem, students facing food insecurity can access the FCC foodbank, located in the basement of Bridges Cafe in the Refectory Building. Anonymous orders can also be made with the FCC through their Lockers of Love program, by which students can fill out a form via their website and pick up requested food items from a locker on campus.
