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Can you really eat for free for a week on campus?

byHope Cornell
April 16, 2024
6 minute read
Megan’s Community Fridge offers free food for students facing food insecurity. Photo by Catherine Reynolds /The Concordian

Concordia offers plenty of free food, snacks and drinks… if you know where to look!

As the cost of groceries soars with inflation, food insecurity among students cannot be overlooked. This past week, I challenged myself to visit and document places on campus where you can find free food and snacks. I hope this project will encourage you to take what you need, but also to give what you can. These resources are there for you, so take advantage if you need them! 

The Community Cravings Pantry in the Hall building, the community fridge and the grocery table offered by the Student Centre at the Loyola campus run on donations. If you can leave something, it’s always appreciated because food disappears quickly! Many other services such as the People’s Potato and The Hive Free Lunch are run by volunteers and also accept donations. 

Many events on campus offer free food or snacks, making it a great way to meet new people while grabbing a bite to eat. Another goal of this project is to help students find community through food. Spaces like NouLa and Centre pour étudiant·es francophones offer free snacks and allow students to connect with their community in a welcoming, safe space. Take a look at my week of investigating free eats on campus!

This project uses Alternative (Alt) Text to make the photos accessible to the visually impaired by “convey[ing] the ‘why’ of the image as it relates to the content of a document or webpage. It is read-aloud to users by screen reader software, and it is indexed by search engines.”

Community Cravings Pantry H-725

Two tall, white cabinets with the doors open to reveal some groceries like pasta and snacks on the shelves. To the right, there is an empty fridge.
The Community Cravings Pantry is located on the 7th floor of the Hall Building. The pantry accepts non-perishable, unopened goods. Students can take anything they want. When I visited, there were some applesauce squeeze packets and granola bars. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: Two tall, white cabinets with the doors open to reveal some groceries like pasta and snacks on the shelves. To the right, there is an empty fridge.

People’s Potato H-700

A white person’s hand holding a plastic container filled with a stew with potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and black beans. Behind, is a glass divider with “People’s Potato” written with colourful markers and a hand holding a potato.
The People’s Potato offers vegan lunches prepared free of cost or available by donation Monday through Wednesday at room H-700. They also offer Emergency Food Baskets throughout the semester. Make sure to follow their Instagram for regular updates! I had a delicious and filling “MexiCali” stew when I stopped by. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A white person’s hand holding a plastic container filled with a stew with potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and black beans. Behind, is a glass divider with “People’s Potato” written with colourful markers and a hand holding a potato.

Centre pour étudiant·es francophones H-608.02

A table with a coffee maker, mugs, coffee pods, and tea sits in front of a colourful corkboard with various flyers and posters pinned to it.
The Centre pour étudiant·es francophones is a place where francophone students at Concordia can hang out, grab a coffee or tea and meet their peers. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A table with a coffee maker, mugs, coffee pods, and tea sits in front of a colourful corkboard with various flyers and posters pinned to it.

From left to right there are some mini chocolate bars, apples, granola bars and pastries.
The Centre pour étudiant·es francophones is also open to students who are interested in practising their French. They have a selection of teas, coffee and snacks available for students. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: From left to right there are some mini chocolate bars, apples, granola bars and pastries.

The Hive Free Breakfast SC-200 7141 Sherbrooke West

A small hand scoops from a big pot of oatmeal. There is a red oven mitt to the right.
The Hive Free Breakfast is vegetarian with vegan options and is served from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and again from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A small hand scoops from a big pot of oatmeal. There is a red oven mitt to the right.

A plate of granola, oatmeal and honeydew melon on a wooden table. Blue and green chairs and sofas are visible in the background.
You might be able to get a sneak peek of what The Hive Free Breakfast will be serving for the day if you follow their Instagram account. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A plate of granola, oatmeal and honeydew melon on a wooden table. Blue and green chairs and sofas are visible in the background.

The Hive Free Lunch SC-200 7141 Sherbrooke West

Two bowls of lentil eggplant stew with some parsley and pomegranate seeds on top, served with a piece of bread. In the background, there is a big metal container of cookies and bread.
The Hive Free Lunch is always vegan and is served 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. There was gluten-free bread available along with the lentil eggplant stew when I went. They even offer a second helping of their tasty meal at 1:15 p.m. if there are leftovers! Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: Two bowls of lentil eggplant stew with some parsley and pomegranate seeds on top, served with a piece of bread. In the background, there is a big metal container of cookies and bread.

Community Fridge and Grocery Table SC-200 7141 Sherbrooke West

Two mini-fridges, a white shelf with dishware, a bookcase filled with books and the grocery table with a couple of cans visible.
Groceries and snacks are taken very quickly from the Community Fridge and Grocery Table at SC-200, so it’s obvious that students are using the service. If you brought an extra snack to school or have some cans sitting in the cupboard at home, why not bring them? Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: Two mini-fridges, a white shelf with dishware, a bookcase filled with books and the grocery table with a couple of cans visible.

Le Frigo Vert 1440 Mackay St.

A table with bags of beans and soup ingredients, a handmade sign that says “FREE” and “Bean & Barley soup” recipes. A post-it note says “FREE SOUP MIX! TAKE A RECIPE.”
Le Frigo Vert has free microgreens, Pay What You Can (PWYC) tea and sometimes other free food, like this Bean & Barley soup mix! They also host lots of events and workshops, some of which also offer free food. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A table with bags of beans and soup ingredients, a handmade sign that says “FREE” and “Bean & Barley soup” recipes. A post-it note says “FREE SOUP MIX! TAKE A RECIPE.”

Events

Spirituali-Tea 2090 Mackay St.

A black basket full of boxes of tea, hot chocolate, coffee maker and mugs.
I attended the Spirituali-Tea event at the Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre where there was coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cookies and other baked goods. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A black basket full of boxes of tea, hot chocolate, coffee maker and mugs.

A room in the Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre office. There is a black leather couch, a bulletin board with some flyers and “Welcome” written in blue letters. There is a small bookcase, a water cooler and a bit of the kitchen is visible in the background.
The Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre hosts many events with free food such as the Pre-Exam Breakfast and Community Meals. They also have an Instagram account where they post frequent updates. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt: A room in the Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre office. There is a black leather couch, a bulletin board with some flyers and “Welcome” written in blue letters. There is a small bookcase, a water cooler and a bit of the kitchen is visible in the background.

Concordia Canadian Asian Society Takeover: Pop-up event

Five Asian students sit and stand around a white table. A large container of sago dessert soup (which is white, with small clear coloured pearls) is on the table along with many colourful stickers and candies.
This was a small event where people could learn about the club, meet peers and learn how to make sago dessert soup. It was great to talk to the executives of Concordia’s Canadian Asian Society about their vision for the club and hopes for future events. I was also excited to try sago dessert soup for the first time! These events are great for meeting new people, but also for trying new things. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: Five Asian students sit and stand around a white table. A large container of sago dessert soup (which is white, with small clear coloured pearls) is on the table along with many colourful stickers and candies.

A white person’s hand holds a compostable cup filled with a white soup, which contains clear sago pearls. Some stickers are visible on the table in the background.
The Concordia Canadian Asian Society hosted a pop-up event where they shared sago dessert soup and explained how to make it at home. Check out their Instagram account for future events! Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A white person’s hand holds a compostable cup filled with a white soup, which contains clear sago pearls. Some stickers are visible on the table in the background.

Tea Around the World by CUTEA

A table with a white tablecloth and a poster that says “CUTEA Concordia University Tea Enthusiast Association” has tea boxes and tea bags on display.
Although this event only had tea, students could make one on the spot and take extra sachets/tea bags for later! CUTEA hosts many events throughout the year many of which offer food, so check out their Instagram account to stay informed. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian


Alt text: A table with a white tablecloth and a poster that says “CUTEA Concordia University Tea Enthusiast Association” has tea boxes and tea bags on display.

For Black Concordia Students, NouLa Lounge H-773

A frosted glass wall which says “773.00 THE NOULA CENTRE FOR BLACK STUDENTS”. There are also some events written in colourful markers.
The NouLa Lounge is accessible to all students registered with the NouLa Centre for Black Students. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A frosted glass wall which says “773.00 THE NOULA CENTRE FOR BLACK STUDENTS”. There are also some events written in colourful markers.

A white basket with cookies and Bear Paws is next to a clear container with popcorn and other snacks. They are on a black wood table.
A wide selection of tea, coffee and yummy snacks is available in the NouLa Student Lounge. Registered students can study, make new friends, play board games or just hang out. Photo by Hope Cornell / The Concordian

Alt text: A white basket with cookies and Bear Paws is next to a clear container with popcorn and other snacks. They are on a black wood table.

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