UNews - Erin Phillips

Christmas dinner for 85? No problem

caroline.zentner — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 22:34:46 +0000

When Chaplain Erin Phillips met with the board of the Lethbridge Ecumenical Campus Ministry last October, everyone knew their regular Christmas programming wouldn’t be viable given the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We thought we’d explore doing something new and decided to look at taking Christmas dinners to students,” says Phillips.

Using funds left over from a grant and donations from community members to support food needs, they thought they could pull off a limited holiday dinner program for residence students at the U of L and Lethbridge College. Once word got out, more donations started pouring in and soon the offer was extended to other groups on campus.

“Then the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty Association heard about it and many of their members started donating, too,” she says. “In the end, we were able to offer the dinner to students in residence over the holidays, international students spending Christmas alone, Indigenous students on their own and other students who were alone for the holiday.”

Phillips talked to the owner of Chef Stella restaurant to see if it was possible to prepare Christmas dinners for one.

Erica (Xiaorong) Qian, a second-year student from China who is studying management and education, holds a plate of cookies she decorated from the cookie-decorating kit she received with a Christmas dinner.

“Chef Stella did a turkey dinner and also a vegetarian option for those wanting it,” says Phillips. "They did one special meal for a student with dietary issues, too. They were incredible to work with!”

They also wanted to lift students’ spirits so they worked with Bootsma Bakery to create cookie-decorating kits. With the help of volunteers, about a dozen kits were distributed before Christmas, with the remainder sent along with the Christmas dinners. In addition, a faculty member made up 95 treat bags with candy and hot chocolate and those were sent out with the dinners.

“On the morning of the 24th, we all met at Chef Stella,” says Phillips. “I had a list of where deliveries had to go. We loaded everyone up with what they needed and we delivered in under an hour!”

On Christmas Day, Phillips held a Zoom Christmas dinner for anyone who wanted to join.

“Five of us Zoomed and it was lovely to visit,” she says. “The students loved it and I got a lot of thanks and emails, including some with pictures of decorated cookies. In total, we delivered dinners to 22 college students and 63 U of L students with the help of 13 volunteers, plus me.”

Campus Care Parcel program, part of Nourish, goes ahead thanks to innovative distribution solution

trevor.kenney — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 19:50:35 +0000

Food security issues do not subside during national emergencies, rather they are often enhanced. As society has been forced to function in entirely different ways throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and its partners devised a plan to keep one of their most important initiatives alive – the Spring Campus Care Parcel giveaway.

Parcels of food await distribution to students by volunteers.

Now in its 17th year, Campus Care Parcels are an essential service for students at one of the most critical times in the academic calendar. A pandemic situation has only highlighted the need to make sure food security issues are met and students are supported as they wrap up their academic calendar and prepare for final exams.

"We know how critical this support is at the best of times and under these circumstances it is even more important,” says Campus Chaplain Erin Phillips. “We are grateful to our churches for continuing their support for this crucial program and cannot say enough how much we've appreciated the way the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has helped us work out unique logistics."

This year’s program, with support of the Campus Chaplaincy, local churches, Save-on-Foods and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community, was devised to ensure students could still get access to food in a manner that kept them and volunteers safe, and abided by physical distancing guidelines.

U of L facilities staff picked up the majority of the food from local churches and brought it to campus where volunteers, practicing physical distancing and taking all safety and health precautions, sorted the food into parcels.

“Unfortunately, given the constraints we’re working under this spring, we understand we can’t reach every student in need,” says Mark Slomp, director of Student Services. “We identified particular groups and individuals who are more likely to be experiencing a food shortage during this time and reached out to them directly through email and communicated the details of how they could access the parcels. We urge all other students who may be struggling to please access the food banks available throughout the city.”

Students were able to access the Campus Care Parcels on Wednesday afternoon by calling volunteer distributors and meeting them at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Anderson Hall between 1 and 4 p.m. Parcels were brought curbside and picked up to avoid any social gathering.

“We know that 50 per cent of our students work while they study and that many have been facing layoff or reduced hours in these extraordinary circumstances,” adds Slomp. “We wanted to do what we could to ensure that students have what they need — and that especially includes nourishment — as they work to complete their semesters.”

The Campus Care Parcel program is one of a group of food-related programs that make up the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Nourish initiative. Nourish is designed to raise awareness about food scarcity on campus with a goal of increasing access to healthy food for students.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge introduces Nourish program in continued effort to eliminate food scarcity for students

trevor.kenney — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:57:33 +0000

Of the many challenges facing post-secondary students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has long worked to make sure food scarcity does not impact their ability to achieve their academic goals. Bringing together a long-established network of food-related initiatives from across campus, the newly launched Nourish program is the next step in ensuring U of L students are well fed in their pursuit of excellence.

Based on research carried out by Campus Chaplain, Erin Phillips, and a team of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and college faculty, Nourish connects the dots between existing programs and raises awareness about food scarcity on campus with a goal of increasing access to healthy food for students.

Finding and being able to afford healthy food options should never be a barrier for students.

“There is a recognition on campus that food security is an issue and, over the years, a number of initiatives have been created to address our students’ needs,” says Phillips. “The research we’ve done in recent years has clearly demonstrated the need is there and Nourish will help pull all these pieces together into one envelope, allowing us to coordinate efforts to reach as many students as possible.”

Phillips and her group conducted a survey that shed light on how pervasive food concerns are to students at the U of L. When asked if students ever ran out of food and didn't have enough money for more, 19.2 per cent responded with “sometimes” and 7.5 per cent said “often” or “all the time.” As well, 14.8 per cent of students said they had gone a whole day without food because they couldn't afford any and, of the students who said they hadn't eaten for a day, 28.2 per cent said that this happened at least once a week or more often.

“These are sobering numbers and something we’re working hard to address,” says Phillips. “What’s also telling is that only 7.4 per cent of students reported having used the ULSU food bank.”

Nourish intends to raise the profile of the Student’s Union Food Bank, as well as the many campus initiatives in place to assist students in need of food. It also looks to raise awareness and further engage the community to find collaborative solutions to meet student need.

Some of the programs already in place to help combat food scarcity include: Buy a Student Breakfast and Dinner for Six (supported by Alumni Relations and the student club PACT); Campus Food Pantry and Campus Care Parcels (supported by Campus Chaplaincy); Food For Thought (supported by Agility); ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students’ Union Food Bank donations (supported across campus).

“We have a very caring campus community that has shown over the years they are eager to help and, through Nourish, we see the opportunity to bring people and their ideas together to increase our students’ access to healthy food,” says Phillips.

Community has the power to play a vital role in the lives of U of L students and Nourish is a means for the community to come together to address an issue of great importance.

Backgrounder on campus food initiatives

Buy a Student Breakfast
Students are gearing up for the last few weeks of the semester, a time that can be very stressful for many. Help make this final exam season a little bit easier for our students by getting their day off to the right start. For $10, you can buy two students a breakfast sandwich and a coffee or tea.

Student Pantry Project
Monetary donations are being collected to help launch a student pantry project on campus. The Ecumenical Campus Ministry is launching this project to provide free, grab-and-go type food for students in an effort to fight student hunger. The student pantry project will launch in early 2020 with four locations on campus.

Campus Care Parcel
Now in its 18th year, the Campus Care Parcel program provides reusable bags full of non-perishable food for students. Donations are being accepted on campus in room AH148 during the week of November 25-29. Donations can also be dropped off at the Immanuel Lutheran Church (20 Rocky Mountain Blvd W). Volunteers are needed to help fill parcels. If you're interested in getting involved, please email alumni@uleth.ca.

Donate to the ULSU Food Bank
Food and cash donations are accepted year-round at the ULSU Food Bank and other local food banks. This time of year, many ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ holiday events are collecting donations, so please give generously.

Community leader Erin Phillips honoured with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Volunteer Award

trevor.kenney — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 16:10:14 +0000

An indefatigable volunteer and community leader, Chaplain Erin Phillips is the 2016 recipient of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Volunteer Award.

Noted for fostering a sense of belonging and connection both at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and in the community at large, Phillips is the chaplain for Ecumenical Campus Ministry at both the U of L and Lethbridge College and the incumbent priest at the Anglican Church of the Ascension in Coaldale.

Noted for fostering a sense of belonging and connection both at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and in the community at large, Erin Phillips is the chaplain for Ecumenical Campus Ministry.

On any given day, she may officiate at a wedding or a funeral, visit someone in hospital, provide counselling and spiritual support, or write and deliver sermons. She actively seeks resources from community members to support students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and, in turn, inspires U of L students and staff to support the community.

For the past 14 years, Phillips has organized the Campus Care Parcel project, which distributes more than 300 bags of groceries donated by community churches to hungry students twice a year at a time when students are most likely to be low on funds and food. She is also co-chair of a study on student poverty in conjunction with Vibrant Lethbridge.

Last fall, Phillips arranged a welcome dinner for international students featuring Canadian fare and even sourced buffalo meat for the occasion.

Phillips completed a master’s degree from Wilfrid Laurier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and five years of doctoral work at McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. She has taught classes in sociology, history and religion at the U of L and was instrumental in developing a liberal education course about genocide. She has delivered public talks at the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs and at the Cade Community Lecture Series.

Erin Phillips remains a passionate advocate and resource for students, and plays a key role in spiritual wellness at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and our community at large.

Care parcels help students

trevor.kenney — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:54:16 +0000

Volunteers from the community, U of L and church groups in southern Alberta were on campus on Wednesday, Dec. 5 beginning at 2:30 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium to distribute approximately 300 Campus Care parcels to students.

The whole process took less than four minutes.

Now into its 11th year, the activity sees donated non-perishable food and other 'low-fuss' items, treats and cards of encouragement placed in a reusable bag and handed out to students just as exams and end-of-term assignments begin and, for some students, their money and food supplies start to run low.

This year, more than $8,000 worth of food was donated. Volunteers from 11 churches in Lethbridge and Southern Alberta have participated as donors, helped sort and assemble packages or help out on distribution day.

More than 2,300lb (1,052kg) of food was distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

This year, 317 parcels were available.

Ecumenical Campus Ministry, led for the past decade by Chaplain Erin Phillips – who holds joint appointments at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College – organizes the Campus Care Parcel project and many other efforts to engage students, including a dinner at Lethbridge College traditionally attended by more than 450 people, which this year was managed by volunteers from two Lethbridge church groups.

Campus Care Parcels By The Numbers:

317 – number of parcels available (bags donated by the U of L Bookstore/West-side Save-on Foods store)

$8,000 -- value of donated food products

2,302 / 1,052 – weight in pounds and kilograms of the items being distributed

9 -- number of minutes it usually takes to distribute the parcels

4 -- number of minutes it took this year

11 – number of churches involved

45 -- volunteers who helped fill parcels

18 -- number of years Ecumenical Campus Ministry has been active in Lethbridge

11 -- years of Leadership by Chaplain Erin Phillips

Remembrance concert to celebrate peace

trevor.kenney — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:28:50 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Faculty of Fine Arts debut Remembrance: Peace, Diversity and Respect on Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m. at Southminster United Church.

"The concert is dedicated to all people who have been victims of acts of violence and intolerance in our community," says Dr. Janet Youngdahl, concert coordinator. "The message of peace and tolerance has a strong connection with Remembrance Day, which is why we decided to hold the event on Nov. 11."

The program features music, poetry and words by musicians and distinguished guests. "Many musicians are involved, including the U of L Singers, cellist Mark Rodgers and jazz musician David Renter," says Youngdahl.

Traditional music from Chinese, Persian and Native cultures is also featured as well as a song from the newly formed student Gospel Choir.

"Religious leaders from diverse faiths including Father Tim Boyle, Reverend Izumi, Reverend Erin Phillips, Sidney Black and Dr. Linda Anvari are also offering prayers for peace throughout the program," she says. "Universities are platforms of free speech and against any form of discrimination. The intent with this evening's presentation is to become an annual event that uses the arts to bring about an awareness of the need for diverse groups to respect one another and to encourage peaceful engagement within society."

Admission to this event is a non-perishable food donation for the Lethbridge Food Bank.

UNews - Erin Phillips

Christmas dinner for 85? No problem

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