UNews - Ecumenical Campus Ministry

��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.

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

Global event hits home

trevor.kenney — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:57:41 +0000

On Mar. 11, 2011, the world watched in horror as Japan was rocked by a massive earthquake followed by a crushing tsunami that left behind a mass of death, destruction and devastation. Stirred by human compassion, many people want to help during such tragedies but often don't know how – so they wait for someone to take the lead. For Mieko Okutomi, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student with family in Japan – waiting was not an option.

"When it first happened I was at home and I saw my friends on Facebook writing about Japan. I wasn't too concerned because Japan often has large earthquakes – but when I saw all the media coverage I started to realize this was different," recalls Okutomi, whose home is only 100 km away from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. "I felt really bad because at first I couldn't reach some of my family members. It took a while to find out they were OK. That was what initially prompted me to get involved in the fundraiser. I felt compelled to do something. I knew I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror if I hadn't done anything."

Mieko Okutomi (fourth-year accounting), Sayu Ishimine (fourth-year psychology), Yukino Okutomi (volunteer), Eri Asano (volunteer) and professor Eiichi Yokota and his wife Yuko Yokota.

Responding to an plea from the International Centre for Students (ICS), Okutomi, Ayuno Nakahashi, Ryosuke Imura, Sayu Ishimine and Emma Wight met with staff and came up with the idea to fundraise money to aid Japan through the Red Cross. The students created displays and brochures detailing the tragedy and set up donation boxes on campus. The fundraiser took place Mar. 16-18.

"The ICS provided the students with logistical support, organizing tables on campus, supplying presentation material and signing the contract with Red Cross so that the fundraiser could happen," says Trish Jackson, acting manager ICS. "I am just so impressed by how much enthusiasm, love and care the students brought with them and how well it was received around campus."

During the fundraiser, Okutomi became aware of an extraordinary achievement by Yuko Yokota, the wife of Dr. Eiichi Yokota, a visiting professor from Hokkai Shouka Daigaku, Hokkai School of Commerce in Japan. Mrs. Yokota had made more than 1,700 traditional paper cranes that she was willing to donate to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. In Japan, the crane is a very important symbol of hope and peace, and legend says that if you fold 1,000 cranes you are granted a wish.

Thanks to Mrs. Yokota's incredible contribution, the ICS, along with Okutomi, began an awareness campaign with the wish that Japan not be forgotten once the media coverage diminished. Their goal was to see how many cranes they could collect and display in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a symbol of hope and recovery for Japan.

From Mar. 28 through Apr. 1, Okutomi, her sister Yukino, and other student volunteers manned tables in the Atrium, where everyone was welcome to learn about the legend of the crane and show their continued support for Japan by folding their own cranes and adding them to the collection.

"The crane project is very therapeutic. When you fold a crane you put your love and compassion in it and it becomes a physical symbol for you. When you add it to three or four thousand other cranes it becomes so much more," says Jackson. "You realize that you have support and there is compassion around campus. Each time a tragedy like this happens we have students who come together to find ways to help. We also saw that with the recent earthquake in Haiti."

For Okutomi, thousands of miles away from a tragedy affecting her homeland, the outpouring of support shown was heartening.

"I really have to say thank you to all the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community, our friends and the ICS," she says. "I was really moved by the compassion people showed for our cause, asking if our friends and family were OK, even when they did not know us. I am really proud of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community for its kindness."

GET THE FACTS

· More than $3,000 was raised through the fundraiser and the sale of tickets for an International Dinner hosted by the Ecumenical Campus Ministry. The Ecumenical Campus Ministry held two memorial services to support Japan.

· There are currently four U of L students on exchange programs in Japan, along with one faculty member. All have reported they are safe following the tragedy.

· ICS donated 600 sheets of origami paper as a thank you to Mrs. Yokota. She folded it all, creating more than 2,400 paper cranes for the project.

· Students are also planning on displaying the cranes at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Calgary campus. Anyone wishing to make additional paper cranes is welcome to bring them to the ICS (SU040).

For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Ecumenical Campus Ministry

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

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Global event hits home

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