FCC brings students together to learn and share accessible recipes in a hands-on cooking experience
The McMaster Students Union's Food Collective Centre hosted its January cook-along event on Jan. 29, 2025, at The Hub. This event is part of a monthly series designed to promote food literacy, build community and demonstrate how meal preparation for students can be accessible.
This month's cook-along, held in collaboration with Maccess, emphasized making cooking more accessible for people with disabilities. During the two-hour session, participants prepared a coconut chickpea curry, chapati flatbread and a cucumber yogurt salad.
Christine Lin and Harry Li, the FCC's Community Kitchen coordinators, explained to the Silhouette that the event is open to all members of the McMaster community, including undergraduates, graduate students and staff.
"We call it a workshop, but we're really just cooking together. It's a collaborative opportunity to learn from each other, whether participants are experienced or just starting out," said Lin.
We call it a workshop, but we're really just cooking together. It's a collaborative opportunity to learn from each other, whether participants are experienced or just starting out.
Christine Lin, Community Kitchen Coordinator
Food Collective Centre
The recipes chosen for the workshops aim to reflect the FCC's core goals for diversity and accessibility. Each month, the recipes are selected so as to use seasonal ingredients an array of dishes from diverse backgrounds.
Recent events featured dishes like vegetable stir fry and tacos, showcasing a medley of global cuisines. Lin and Li highlighted the effort to ensure that recipes accommodate dietary restrictions, with vegetarian modifications always available.
In addition to cooking skills, participants gained practical knowledge such as meal planning, budgeting and food safety. According to Lin, the workshops also address food literacy, teaching participants how to find ingredients and prepare nutritious meals.
The cook-along initiative aligns with broader efforts to address food insecurity on campus, including the upcoming Food Accessibility Initiative referendum. The referendum proposes increasing the MSU organizational fee by $6.50 to fund the Soup & Bread Initiative, which would provide free soup and bread to students throughout the academic year.
Lin and Li expressed their support for the referendum's proposals, noting that these measures would help relieve the hunger of many students. However, they also emphasized that addressing food insecurity requires a more comprehensive and long-term approach that goes beyond immediate relief provided by such programs.
"Food insecurity is a complex issue. It's great that people will be able to have a free lunch every day, but what about the rest of the day? Are they able to cook by themselves at home? . . . We have to think more holistically," said Lin.
Food insecurity is a complex issue. It's great that people will be able to have a free lunch everyday, but what about the rest of the day? Are they able to cook by themselves at home?
Christine Lin, Community Kitchen Coordinator
Food Collective Centre
Lin and Li noted the importance of increasing the variety and accessibility of nutritious food options on campus. They emphasized that it is not just about providing meals but also about ensuring that students have access to fresh, affordable ingredients that empower them to cook at home.
They also explained how food insecurity differs among diverse groups of students. They suggested that graduate students, for example, can struggle to afford nutritious ingredients. Meanwhile, first-year students may not face the same immediate need to cook due to living in residence but could still benefit from learning basic cooking skills to prepare for future independence.
For students unable to attend the cook-along, Lin and Li also mentioned that the FCC is developing a cookbook featuring workshop recipes. The cookbook will include a variety of cultural recipes contributed by volunteers, aligning with the FCC's focus on representing McMaster's diverse campus community.
Looking ahead, the FCC has plans for future cook-alongs, including a February session in collaboration with the McMaster Community Garden and the McMaster Nutrition Club.
Food Collective Centre will collect non-perishable items to assist those facing food insecurity in the McMaster community
The McMaster Students Union Food Collective Centre is a student-run service located in the basement of the refectory building and they provide on-campus support to students, alumni, staff and Hamilton community partners throughout the academic year to help them meet their nutritional needs.
This Halloween, the FCC is hosting their annual Trick or Eat food drive. They will be accepting donations of non-perishable and health and hygiene items from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3 at various locations both on and off campus.
They will be accepting donations of non-perishable and health and hygiene items from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3 at various locations both on and off campus.
The Trick or Eat campaign aims to help students lacking adequate access to food by stocking up the food bank for the colder months. As the costs of living rise and vulnerable groups are increasingly impacted by food insecurity, the FCC hopes to retain a stock sufficient to help those in need.
This year the campaign will have on campus donation boxes located in the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery, the Peter George Centre for Living and Learning and the John Hodgins Engineering Building on campus.
Off campus donation boxes will also be set up at Williams Cafe, the Grain and Grit Beer Co. and the Fairweather Brewing Company.
Food donations that are needed this year include canned goods such as canned meat, soups, canned fruits vegetables; spreads and condiments; tea, juice and instant coffee; dry and canned pastas, cereals, rice and oatmeal and granola bars. Hygiene and health products must be sealed and can be donated alongside food donations in FCC donation boxes.
Food donations that are needed this year include canned goods such as canned meat, soups, canned fruits vegetables; spreads and condiments; tea, juice and instant coffee; dry and canned pastas, cereals, rice and oatmeal and granola bars. Hygiene and health products must be sealed and can be donated alongside food donations in FCC donation boxes.
The FCC opened their food bank for the current academic term on Oct. 23 and they are are offering walk in access to their pantry during operating hours. For those in need, non-perishable food and hygiene products are also available for pick-up Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the basement of the refectory building.
For more information on the Trick or Eat food drive and the FCC, visit their socials and their MSU service page.
How has the pandemic shaped an already pervasive issue?
Have you ever skipped lunch or grocery shopping for the sake of studying or doing schoolwork? Have you ever found it difficult to cook adequate meals for yourself due to other time commitments? Have you ever struggled to pull together an eating regimen as a result of insufficient funds? You are not alone in these experiences.
Food insecurity is a term rarely used, but experienced by many university students, including those here at McMaster University. In a recent survey conducted by students enrolled in SUSTAIN 3S03, it was discovered that 39 per cent of students experience some form of food insecurity, with 12 per cent experiencing severe food insecurity.
Many McMaster students are not new to experiencing food insecurity, but few define themselves as food insecure or seek out relevant resources. In the same survey mentioned above, it was found that only 24 per cent of food insecure students seek out programs and services such as the MSU Food Collective Centre.
This issue is pervasive, affecting many students in our community. With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic and move to a completely virtual school experience this year, food insecurity has subsequently taken a different form. Although it is difficult to generate data during this time when most students are not on campus, new and unique issues have been identified that exacerbate the ongoing issue of food insecurity. It is important that students understand what resources are at their disposal.
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Liana Bontempo, the wellness sustainability manager of McMaster Hospitality Services, Tina Moffat, chair of the anthropology department and Kate Whalen, who oversees the McMaster Academic Sustainability Program’s office, brought up many key issues relating to food insecurity amongst McMaster. From unemployment to inadequate governmental support, there are many reasons why students may experience food insecurity more dramatically this year.
“A lot of students couldn't work this summer and then they got some government relief, which was great, but maybe not enough,” said Moffat.
The increase in food insecurity amongst students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic was also discussed by Elise Durie, the assistant director of the MSU Food Collective Centre. From the perspective of students and student representatives, the issue has indeed grown in magnitude and severity.
“Job and income instability throughout the summer and into the school year have no doubt impacted agency and accessibility when it comes to food choices,” explained Durie. “Furthermore, due to the capitalist nature of our food systems, we are seeing continuously higher food prices that further reduce the affordability of food to students.”
“Furthermore, due to the capitalist nature of our food systems, we are seeing continuously higher food prices that further reduce the affordability of food to students.”
Lack of financial resources limits a student’s ability to properly access the nutrition they need. However, perhaps less obvious obstacles hindering students’ ability to access adequate nutrition have come about during the pandemic.
“Beyond a socio-economic perspective, the risky nature of venturing to supermarkets during a pandemic has also presented a large issue of accessibility to food security for those with pre-existing health conditions,” said Durie.
However, it is important to note the pandemic has not created a problem, but rather exacerbated an already existing one. Food insecurity has long been a part of the McMaster student experience for many and like many other issues, has simply moved closer to the limelight this year.
“I think it's important to know that it was always there and it was like, if you can't see it, it's not there. I'm sure it's being exacerbated right now,” said Bontempo.
The issue has long been present in our community but rarely discussed openly. It can be difficult to identify food insecurity and even more so to pinpoint the ways in which the issue has worsened this year when student food insecurity has become normalized.
“We all know the jokes about students exclusively eating ramen or rice and beans, but this has normalized something that is not normal,” explained Durie. “Food should be a right, not a privilege.”
“Food should be a right, not a privilege.”
It is essential that students feel they are able to access the resources they need and the first step is to recognize the problem when it exists. However, students may find they are unable to access resources they need such as food banks when there is a deep stigma attached to using them. In a recent report by the Health Forum, this lack of knowledge and stigma were discussed in greater depth.
“A lot of the things in [the report] talked about are some of the things . . . like the misconception of what a food insecure student looks like, and the unawareness or like the lack of knowledge, but they just don't know the services are there, or they don't want to use the services because of a stigma,” said Bontempo.
It is essential students are aware that there are resources available to them. Although services like the Food Collective Centre have closed for the semester, they are still offering support in other ways and there are other services available to students in need.
“We have tried hard to adapt much of our programming to an online format to ensure members of the McMaster community are able to continue receiving necessary services,” explained Durie. “We are still offering Good Food Boxes once a month at a discounted price and hosting virtual Community Kitchen workshops monthly to teach cooking skills!”
This year has definitely been rough for everyone and even more so for the food insecure student. Here’s hoping this issue enters the mainstream and is discussed more openly as it becomes more prevalent and severe due to the pandemic.
