The University of Guelph’s Share a Meal campaign, part of the Meal Exchange Guelph program, is on this week.
There are two more days for students and others to donate to an effort that has recently slumped in terms of participation levels. Plans are afoot to ramp it up.
It is an annual event put on by the Central Student Association, and part of a national campaign.
Marion Davies of CSA is the coordinator of Meal Exchange. The Share a Meal drive has been happening on campus since the mid-90s.
“Share a Meal is a partnership between CSA and hospitality services on campus,” she said. “Hospitality is a bulk food buyer, so they are able to get a really good deal on food products.”
Money is raised through cash donations, and donations of meal plan balances, she explained. Hospitality services then uses the funds to purchase food, which is then distributed to a number of local food banks.
“With the money we raise we support nine local organizations who have given us a wish list of specifically what they are most in need of,” she said. “Then we use hospitality services' purchasing power to get a really good deal on the most needed items.”
The organizations supported include the Guelph Food Bank, Onward Willow Centre, Centre Wellington Food Bank, Wyndham House, and Chalmers Community Services Centre.
The campaign, Davies added, gives the organizations control over what donations they are receiving, as opposed to simply giving them random food items.
“One of the challenges of relying on donations is food banks often receive, for example, a lot of pasta, but not a lot of high protein meals,” she said. “In order to help their clients it’s easier for them if they have better control over what they’re getting as a donation.”
In past years, Davies said Share a Meal raised as much as $22,000. But student participation has slowed over the last two years.
“We are hoping to build ourselves back up to that really great participation that we’ve seen in the past,” she said. “I think that is something that will come with time, and with strong Meal Exchange leadership.”
