Between a lack of funds and time to go grocery shopping, and so many fast-food options readily available, eating healthy in post-secondary school can take a back seat.
But Cambrian College's First Generation Advising Program has come up with an innovative way to help students eat more veggies and other healthy foods.
Every month, the program hands out between 75 and 150 small bags of food in the college's main foyer, containing the ingredients to simple recipes such as stir fries and pasta dishes.
They're handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, and any Cambrian student is welcome to pick up a bag of food.
“It's an initiative that was started in September,” said Alison Caruso, co-ordinator of the First Generation Advising Program.
“We noticed a lot of students, they're not eating as healthy as they could, mostly because they find they don't have the time to go grocery shopping.
“We decided to put together little bags of different meals they could create using different pieces of fresh food. We call it the farmer's market.
“This month, we had an onion, two carrots, a green pepper, green beans and rice and they could take it home, and they could make their own stir fry, and it would serve one to three people.
“Sometimes it includes a recipe and different spices, depending on which month we're doing it.”
Caruso said the program has been well received by students. “They are very excited when they see it,” she said.
Here's what one of the recipients had to say about it on the Facebook group Spotted at Cambrian recently:
“Thank you Cambrian college for dinner tonight. For those who didn't see Cambrian had put out stir fry ingredients to students to help themselves to. I thought it was wonderful, and a great way to help students out by providing them with a healthy meal. Each bag contained rice, a green pepper, an onion, carrots and green beans. It was delicious and very much appreciated!!”
Running the farmer's market initiative costs about $500 a month.
Caruso said she uses it as a promotional tool for the provincially-funded First Generation Advising Program, which provides advice and help to students whose parents didn't attend post-secondary school.
About a third of the college's student population actually meets that description, she said.
Because of the farmer's market initiative, “we get name recognition all around the college, and everybody knows this group exists,” she said. “People are more comfortable coming to me for advice and help.”
