Postsecondary institutions are seeing a sharp increase in demand for their food support programs as they prepare for the Fall semester. University of Calgary students’ union vice-president internal Naomie Bakana told CBC that students are struggling with the costs of necessities and the student union’s food bank has already seen a 40% rise in demand. The food bank also reached a record high in the 2023-24 academic year. While Mount Royal University does not have a traditional food bank service, its food security programs have also seen more demand, with some programs seeing double the demand compared to last year. Georgian College’s FoodLocker program has seen demand double this year compared to 2023, and the school is expecting to help feed over 400 people in September.
