Charlottetown students turn to food banks as grocery prices rise
Campus providers report increased demand as more students seek help affording basic meals
By Linda Diarra
Food banks in Charlottetown are seeing more students coming through their doors as higher grocery prices strain budgets.
At the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), workers say the campus food bank has become a consistent support system, rather than an emergency service.
Many of the students using the food bank are balancing full course loads with part-time work. However, minimum wage jobs often fail to keep pace with the cost of living in Charlottetown, where rental prices and grocery bills have both climbed in recent years.
Kushi Damry, vice-president of administration and finance with the UPEI student union and a student herself, said the rising cost of food is one of the most common concerns she hears.
She noted that classmates frequently tell her their budget no longer stretches far enough to cover weekly groceries.
Rising tuition, higher living costs and limited financial support are pushing students to make difficult choices, often forcing them to cut back on fresh produce or skip meals entirely.
“Sometimes you have to decide, am I going to pay my rent, or am I going to eat?” said Damry. “If you’re not eating properly, it affects your concentration, your academics and everything else.”
The food bank, which launched at the UPEI Student Union on Jan. 30, operates as a drop-in service three days a week. Students can select essential items such as vegetables, pasta and other staples, taking one of each item per visit.
“We are seeing about 70 to 80 students a week,” said Mike Mallaley, the operations manager for the student union. “It’s manageable right now, but we’re still early in the semester.”
Mallaley oversees the day-to-day running of the food bank alongside three student staff members. He said the drop-in model was introduced to create a more welcoming and flexible environment compared to the previous hamper-style system.
“We want students to have more freedom, they can come in at their own pace, choose what they need and leave with a bag for the week.”
The food bank staff members emphasized confidentiality is a priority, and students are not asked to justify their need.
“There is no shame in using the food bank,” said Damry. “It’s here to help, if you need to survive, you should use it.”
The service relies on donations and financial contributions from the university and community partners.
While current demand is manageable, administrators say additional financial support would allow the food bank to expand its inventory, particularly fresh and higher-cost items such as meat.
“We are doing what we can with the resources we have,” said Damry. “But more support would mean more variety and better nutritional options for students.”
Damry is also developing a cookbook using affordable and ingredients available at the food bank, to help students prepare nutritious meals.
“We want this to be a safe space, we want students to know they’re not alone,” she said.
While the UPEI food bank serves dozens of students each week, at Holland College, students are facing the same reality: balancing bills and groceries.
The college operates food shelf programs across all its campuses, including the Prince of Wales campus in downtown Charlottetown.
The service is confidential and accessible whenever the building is open. Students can walk in, select what they need and leave without registering or speaking to staff.
“We don’t monitor usage,” said Leone Dixon, administrative support of the Holland College food bank. “Some students are embarrassed that they need to access help, so we don’t want to have any barriers, that’s all part of the anonymity of it.”
For students, the food shelf has become a quiet, but necessary part of the campus life.
“Groceries are extremely expensive,” said Dixon. “Even those of us with full-time jobs notice the jump, so how would it not be affecting students?”