UNews - Food for Thought

New emergency food program launched for students living in residence

caroline.zentner — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:55:19 +0000

Students living in residence at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge now have access to emergency food thanks to a grant from the Food for Thought committee.

The Residence Life team developed the Resident Emergency Food Fund (REFF) in response to reports of food going missing from communal fridges. The Residence Life team works to ensure students are connected with all the services they need, including food. While first-year students living in residence are required to be on a dining plan, making the plan last the entire academic year can be a challenging task for students living away from home for the first time. Likewise, continuing students who aren’t on a dining plan can also find themselves short of food.

Shanna Brown, Campus Life Housing Coordinator.

In some instances, not having enough food can drive students into taking on outside jobs to make ends meet, which also diminishes the time they have available to focus on their studies and function day-to-day.

“Students were asking us about the food insecurity measures within residence, and we didn’t really have anything established,” says Shanna Brown, Campus Life Housing Coordinator.

The team applied to the Food for Thought committee and received a $2,500 grant, which will provide grocery store gift cards and meal vouchers for the Chartwells food outlets on campus.

“We are extremely grateful to the Food for Thought committee as these funds will help us reduce food insecurity within our residences,” says Brown. “REFF is available for all of our residents, whether they’re first-year or continuing, regardless of their income.”

To access the program, students will be asked to fill out an application form and meet with a member of the Residence Life team, who will determine the long-term support needs. Along with the short-term support of a grocery card or food voucher, students will get help with long-term planning, resources and referrals.

“Supporting our students’ access to nutritious food remains a key priority on campus, and we’re excited to continue exploring initiatives like this that make a real difference. By working together, we can help ensure our students have what they need to thrive and enjoy the best possible academic experience,” say Food for Thought co-chairs Diana Letts and Crystal Volk.

Additional Food for Thought programming for students includes The Bodega, a food-sharing hub where students can pick up snacks, non-perishables, hygiene products and gently used kitchenware items; food literacy workshops; free fresh produce events and the Campus Roots Community Garden.

Canadian comic icon Brent Butt among ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge 2025 honorary degree recipients

trevor.kenney — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 17:03:44 +0000

Corner Gas creator will headline comedy show fundraiser in support of Food For Thought, student food security program

He created a Canadian landmark television program, has traversed the globe performing live stand-up shows and continues to mentor and support the growth and health of the Canadian comedy community. Brent Butt is a true Canadian comic icon and one of six people who will be awarded ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge honorary degrees during Spring and Fall 2025 Convocation ceremonies.

Brent Butt's comedic career has spanned more than 35 years.

Butt, who will be recognized at one of the four spring ceremonies, joins acclaimed writer David Robertson, former ULethbridge Chancellor Charlie Weaselhead, conductor Kirk Muspratt and community advocates Bernadine (BEd ’88) and Toby Boulet (BEd ’89, MEd ’04)(fall ceremony), as distinguished honourees.

“We’re thrilled to announce this tremendous group of honorary degree recipients who represent all the best attributes of the ULethbridge experience and its graduating students,” says Terry Whitehead, current ULethbridge Chancellor. “These are people who have achieved great success in their fields and done so in the right way, as engaged citizens in their communities, as educators, as mentors and leaders.”

Butt, who is known primarily for being the creator, writer and star of the iconic Canadian comedy series Corner Gas, has fashioned a comedic career spanning more than 35 years. Successful as a live performer as well as on the big and small screen, he is now an active screenwriter and author, always with deference to his small-town Canadian roots.

“To be able to recognize Brent for all the joy he has brought Canadians over the years is exciting and a recognition he richly deserves,” adds Whitehead. “Laughter is incredibly important in our lives, and I think we are realizing that more every day. Brent’s devotion to his comedic craft, willingness to share with others in the comedy community and unwavering commitment to his rural roots and Canadian culture says a lot about the kind of person he is.

“His willingness to perform for a Lethbridge audience and raise money in support of food security initiatives at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is heartfelt, and I can’t wait to enjoy a great evening of entertainment with him and his guest.”

The comedy show fundraiser to benefit the Food For Thought student program takes place Sunday, May 25, 7 p.m., at the Yates Memorial Theatre and features Brent Butt as the headliner with special guest Charlie Demers. Tickets, priced at $65 each, will be available through the City of Lethbridge Ticket Centre.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will present Butt with an honorary Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at Spring 2025 Convocation, Ceremony IV, on Friday, May 30, 2:30 p.m., in the Centre for Sport and Wellness.

Brent Butt

For Brent Butt, there really was no other career path than comedy, something he’d decided before his teenage years. While he briefly attended Ontario’s Sheridan College after graduating high school in his hometown of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, formal schooling quickly took a back seat to his entrepreneurial tendencies. Leaving school, he and a friend developed their own publishing company, and they created two issues of their comic book, Existing Earth, in which Butt drew the illustrations.

He approached comedy not on a whim, but rather as a vocation, studying the intricacies of the craft. By the time he took the stage for his first stand-up performance at the age of 21, he was ready and his meteoric rise in the comedy industry was testament to his work ethic and preparation. A year after his first appearance on an amateur night at a Saskatoon comedy club, Butt was touring Central and Eastern Canada. Before long he was headlining Toronto’s downtown Yuk Yuks Comedy Club and doors began to open for him internationally.

Once established as a live entertainer, Butt began realizing the next phase of his career, and in 2004 created, wrote and starred in the hit television show Corner Gas. Set in the fictional town of Dog River, Saskatchewan, the show reflected Butt’s smalltown upbringing and shone a new light on rural Canada, one that resonated with small communities across the country and struck a chord with populations in larger urban centres.

Corner Gas ran for six seasons, averaging a remarkable 1.2 million viewers per episode and reaping numerous awards, including four Canadian Comedy Awards and five Gemini Awards. The show has now aired in 60 countries and continues to run on streaming platforms, boasting large fan bases in Germany, the United States, Australia and beyond. A Canadian Armed Forces soldier once wrote the show about his unit watching episodes of Corner Gas to take the edge off during particularly dangerous deployments, reminding them of home and that laughter and simpler times still existed.

The success of Corner Gas garnered remarkable attention and in 2008, Butt was awarded the Peter Ustinov Award for outstanding body of comedic work at the Banff World Media Festival. He joined the likes of past recipients John Cleese, Bob Newhart, John Candy and Eugene Levy.

With a platform as a leader in the industry, Butt has used his profile to call attention to the work of other comedians and to mentor and promote the growth and health of the comedy community.

Eager to continue to expand his creative knowledge, Butt is an active screenwriter and now author, having released his first novel, Huge, a #1 national best seller and one of Indigo’s 2023 Best Books of the Year.

Buy A Student A Breakfast campaign a simple gesture with immeasurable impact

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 22:08:38 +0000

Students are the focus of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s annual Giving Tuesday campaign — Buy A Student A Breakfast (BASAB) — which kicks off Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Students across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Lethbridge and Calgary campuses are getting ready for final exam season. Long hours in the library, study groups and power reading require extra fuel and perseverance. As the most important meal of the day, a healthy breakfast can be just the boost students need to start their busy day off right.

“The initiative has been running since 2018 and we’re proud to say our community continues to step up with stronger support every year,” says Diana Letts, an educator and a teaching development facilitator in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Teaching Centre and Co-chair of the ULethbridge Food for Thought program. “Our alumni donors have been especially supportive and we’re once again looking to provide more than 1,000 student breakfasts at a really crucial time of year.”

A pledge of just $6 buys a breakfast for a ULethbridge student. The gesture is small, but the impact it can have on a student’s day is immeasurable.

“It’s more than a breakfast coupon, it’s a way to show our students how much our community values them and is behind them as they pursue their academic goals,” adds Letts. “Many of our students are a long way from home and, during a stressful time of year, a reminder that there’s a community here supporting them is really meaningful.”

Brenna Scott (BA ’16), a former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students’ Union president, gives to the campaign annually and identifies with the stress students are feeling as final exams approach.

“I remember what it felt like to be a student during this time of year, and you need that little extra push,” she says. “Giving Tuesday is a great way to show students you care. They can use their coupon to buy a breakfast and then get back into the library to study and make sure they have a great end to their semester.”

The BASAB campaign begins Tuesday and runs through the end of the week. Each $6 donation buys a coupon redeemable for one breakfast sandwich and one coffee or tea at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Tim Hortons or Urban Café (Lethbridge campus) while Calgary campus students will receive Tim Hortons gift cards. Coupons will then be distributed by volunteers including ULethbridge alumni and members of the Food for Thought committee throughout the first week of the final exam period, Dec. 4-8.

To make a gift and share an encouraging message for a student, visit go.uleth.ca/Buy-Breakfast.

UNews - Food for Thought

New emergency food program launched for students living in residence

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Canadian comic icon Brent Butt among ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge 2025 honorary degree recipients

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Buy A Student A Breakfast campaign a simple gesture with immeasurable impact

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Canadian comic icon Brent Butt among ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge 2025 honorary degree recipients