Nutrition Access Program
This year we’re piloting the Nutrition Access Program, an initiative aimed at better understanding food insecurity among our students, and using experience-informed data to create an Ontario Tech-tailored food access program. Throughout the year, we will hold pop-up initiatives to provide grab-and-go snacks, and gather student feedback to inform and grow the program accordingly.
Overview
This is a three-year, phased project designed to address a challenge that many student communities face across Canada, impacting their academic success, health, and overall well-being. This project aims to create a sustainable, structured, scalable, and student-centered response that not only supports students through accessing food supplies but also prioritizes their overall wellness, dignity, and long-term success.
Year One: 2025–2026
- Institute two pilot food initiatives: Snack & Go (weekly) and Breakfast Table (monthly).
- Gather student feedback on food spending, food access, household food budgets, and other important criteria.
- Seek student feedback on setting up an ancillary fee to specifically address food insecurity among students.
- Evaluate the need for further food accessibility on campus based upon participation levels, student feedback, and observed impact on food insecurity.
- Evaluate the need for further food accessibility on campus and determine the long-term sustainability of these initiatives.
Year Two: 2026–2027
- Use data and student feedback from year one to evaluate and refine the program through scalable models that best meet student needs.
- Assess and evaluate different program delivery options, such as a grocery gift card system, food hampers, or an internal filtering system in collaboration with the university, if a nutrition ancillary fee is successful.
- Analyse which model corresponds best to meeting the specific needs of our student population, taking into account effectiveness, sustainability, budget, staffing and space availability.
Year Three: 2027-2028
- Evaluate the outcomes, secure ongoing funding and formalize N.A.P. as an ongoing, institutionally supported service.
Fuel up for your day!
Our Goals
The overall goal of the Nutrition Access Program is to better understand Ontario Tech students’ ability to afford food, and to support those in need to the best of our ability. Over the next three years, we’ll gather feedback to make experience-informed decisions, and design a nutrition program tailored specifically to the needs of our student body.
Support Student Wellness and Academic Success
To improve student well-being and academic performance by providing access to quick food options throughout the academic year
Foster Equity, Accessibility, Dignity, and Mutual Aid
To create inclusive and stigma-free food assistance services that are accessible to all OTSU members, especially those disproportionately affected by food insecurity, such as low-income students
Build Sustainable Student-Led Solutions
To develop a long-term, scalable food support system that is informed by student feedback, research, and leadership, and supported through ongoing funding
Ensure Inclusive Access Regardless of Dietary Needs
To build a food support service that respects and accommodates diverse dietary restrictions and cultural food preferences, ensuring inclusive, barrier-free access and setting a foundation for flexible, student-centered solutions
Programs
In the first phase, we’ll introduce two initiatives: Snack & Go (weekly) and Breakfast Table (monthly). Both of these recurring programs will provide students with read-to-eat snacks to start their day. The goal with this year’s initiatives is to assess needs, raise awareness, and gather feedback.
Snack & Go
Pre-packaged, ready-to-eat foods, like granola bars.
Occurs weekly (every Monday during the fall/winter semesters)
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (while supplies last)
North campus in Shawenjigewining Hall (SHA 115), and downtown in Charles Hall (CHA 105)
Free for all Ontario Tech students
Breakfast Table
A larger selection of grab-and-go items, like fruit or yogurt.
Occurs Monthly (first Wednesday of each month)
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (while supplies last)
North campus in Shawenjigewining Hall (SHA 115), and downtown in Charles Hall (CHA 105)
Free for all Ontario Tech students
Share Your Feedback
This program is for you, a full-time Ontario Tech student in 2025. So to make it successful, we need you, a full-time Ontario Tech student in 2025, to tell us how we can support you. If this program is to be a success, we will need your voice, your experience, and your ideas.
Please email us to let us know your experience with access to nutrition in order for us to tackle food insecurity.
