Written by Urja Parhi
The cost of living crisis is no secret, especially to students struggling with grocery bills and living expenses. Observer spoke to the Australian National University Students Association (ANUSA) about the new Union Pantry, which is a service available to all students of the ANU.
The Union Pantry provides free food and essential items every Friday from 2-4pm. The shelves currently have pantry items such as cans of tuna, rice, noodles, pasta sauces, and cereal, with a gluten-free shelf in development.
The initiative is available to all ANU students and no specific requirements are needed to register. It can be found under Warrumbul Lodge, opposite the Drill Hall Gallery and Toad Hall on Kingsley Street.
President of ANUSA, Will Burfoot, spoke to Observer about how the Union Pantry started as an idea to alleviate food insecurity among students and progressed to a fully functional service.
“When I first became President, our general manager said they had applied for a food bank partnership, which would get us access to a food bank ordering system and discounted food. Then we just needed a space to actually be able to do it in.”
After months of searching and negotiating, the Union Pantry came to life on Kingsley Street.
“One thing that will be interesting is learning about the students accessing the service. We know that international students particularly struggle with food insecurity, and so anything we can do to provide support to all students, but especially the ones that need it the most, is really important.”
Community Connect is a student community service that has also been providing food relief for students of the ANU. Previously, their service was available to all students, however, due to such high demand, it was altered to provide exclusively to low SES students.
To access this service, students need to meet the criteria listed for the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP).
There are no specific requirements to be able to register for the Union Pantry, which makes it accessible to any student struggling with food insecurity.
The Pantry is run by ANUSA staff members, executive members, and student volunteers, and is on its way to getting the SRC involved.
“My hope is that as this service matures, we will be able to ask everyone, the entire student body, to help out as volunteers.”
Burfoot mentioned that he had contacted other university student unions around Australia to gain insight into how their services run.
“Driving forward on food insecurity is one of the main challenges and this space will continue to evolve and adapt to what students need from it.”
Within the pantry is a table containing more information regarding ANUSA services, grants, and subsidies, which can also be found on the website.
In addition to the Union Pantry, a mutual aid shelf can be found at the BKSS with items such as menstrual products and contraception. The BKSS also provides free breakfast between 8:30-10:30am, as well as free tea and coffee every weekday.
ANUSA has also integrated the birth control subsidy – run by the Women’s Department – into their services, and is looking to implement more services that improve the lives of students.
“If any student has any ideas about missing patches in our programs, or services that would deliver a lot of benefit, feel free to send it through. If we can make it work and know it would deliver benefits for students, we will do it. And that is the best part of the job.”
Graphics by Shé Chani
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