Laurier Brantford’s Student Food Bank cracked out their grills on Tuesday for the first time this year, to hand out free grilled cheese sandwiches to eager students.
Kathleen Bee, Laurier Brantford’s Student Food Bank coordinator, says the group anticipated anywhere from two to three hundred or more students gearing up for grilled cheese in the Student Centre’s Multi-Purpose Room.
With pop music blasting, and smiles on their faces, Food Bank volunteers were excited to represent their organization on campus.
Samantha West, who is volunteering with the Student Food Bank for the first time this year, says she was “excited” to be participating in her second event with the group.
According to Bee, the club now has 20 members, including executives, operating to provide Laurier Brantford students with access to food and other necessities when they are in need.
The Student Food Bank provides students a venue to acquire access to food and toiletries, by filling out anonymous food request forms. The Student Food Bank will then provide requesters a duffle bag filled with enough food to last a week.
According to Bee, the food bank is available to all students, and is a resource in place for anyone, from those who cannot afford food any longer, to those who are too overwhelmed by school to make it out to the grocery store.
Bee says that alongside the provision of non-perishable goods, the Student Food Bank can also provide requesters with Freshco gift cards to help students acquire fresh produce, or other items the Student Food Bank may not currently have the facilities to maintain.
The events hosted by the Student Food Bank this year, like ice cream sundaes and the RCW Food Drive,were organized throughout the summer, says Bee, in which she and a group reviewed what had worked, and what could be improved upon from last year’s initiatives.
“It’s fun to interact with all of the students,” says Bee, explaining that events like the Grilled Cheese Day act as a tool to get students aware of the Student Food Bank and all that it has to offer.
“Students are aware of the food bank,” says Bee. “Just less aware of all that we offer in our food request services.”
The Student Food Bank will be hosting Halloween for Hunger this weekend, and anticipate a large haul of food, as the Brantford community is generally very receptive to this event.
