Affordable Market at the U of C offers accessible food, seeks volunteers
By Megan Marr, October 17 2024—
In an effort to help combat food insecurity, the University of Calgary has officially opened the Affordable Market, which offers students fresh, budget-friendly groceries right on campus.
Located in Crowsnest Hall, the Affordable Market offers a variety of nutritious, fresh foods like produce and dairy products at subsidized prices. Students can come and shop at the market three days a week — Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 1-6 p.m.
The initiative secured funding from the SU Quality Money to run for two years. However, there are hopes that it could extend past the two-year mark or become a permanent fixture of the Campus Food Hub.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, Heather Ramshaw, food hub coordinator for the Campus Food Hub and Jose Jimenez, market assistant for the Campus Food Hub, shared details about what students can find in the market.
“We’re focused on produce,” said Ramshaw. “So your fruits and vegetables, and we’re trying to stock a lot of dairy products, alternative proteins like eggs, as Jose mentioned, and tofu, greek yogurt- high protein items that tend to be a little more expensive.”
The market currently offers packages of tofu for $2.50, 500 gram containers of greek yogurt for $2.75 and a half dozen eggs for just $1.50. Keeping the costs of these items as low as possible is extremely important to the Campus Food Hub.
“It’s not just about meeting your food budget. It’s about meeting your food budget and your nutritional needs, which is hard to do on a short budget sometimes,” said Ramshaw.
Approximately 40 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students experience food insecurity, and the price of groceries seems to keep growing every day. The Affordable Market aims to be a convenient place for students to access food at more sustainable prices than other grocery stores in the city.
“Eggs are $1.40 cheaper than anywhere else, like compared to Walmart,” explained Jimenez. “Meals are more accessible, which really makes a difference, especially when you’re studying for midterms and finals. It’s good on your budget, and it’s good on your time too.”
The Campus Food Hub prioritizes keeping the space accessible and barrier-free for students, which means that all students, both undergraduate and graduate, are welcome to access the market and there’s no need to show your student ID card or provide any additional information.
“You walk through these doors and you’re welcome to shop, eat, whatever. So that’s a really big part of what we’re trying to do is provide a dignified way for folks to access food. I think the experience of having to stretch your budget is a common experience across many students,” said Ramshaw.
Ramshaw also spoke about the market’s impact on UCalgary students and the essential role it plays in fulfilling a need on campus.
“We’ve done very little advertising at this point… and we are busy. We’re busier than we expected right away, so the need is definitely there,” said Ramshaw. “We’re seeing folks come in, and we’re seeing repeat customers. We know that this market is doing what it’s intended to do, which is make fresh foods available to students.”
Although the Affordable Market is a prominent piece of the Campus Food Hub, it isn’t the only initiative the hub runs.
“We are more than just the Affordable Market. We have a soup program on Wednesdays, and we’ll be adding more programming, so keep an eye out,” said Ramshaw.
Ramshaw and Jimenez also noted that the Affordable Market is currently seeking volunteers, and that shifts are available throughout the week at various time slots to accommodate busy student schedules. There will be an in-person volunteer orientation on Oct. 21 to help volunteers get comfortable with the space and learn how to sign up for shifts.
Learn more about the Campus Food Hub and its full range of services here. To apply to volunteer at the Affordable Market, click here.