Announcing Free Food Alert.
Imagine this. You’re hungry and all of a sudden you get an alert that free food is available in a meeting room on campus.
It’s no longer the stuff of imagination, now that the University of Ottawa is introducing the Free Food Alert program, a win-win initiative to reduce food waste AND provide support to our students, many of whom are experiencing food insecurity.
Leftover food from conferences, ceremonies, events and meetings held at uOttawa will now be available to students. Staff send out alerts about leftover food instead of having it end up in compost or landfill.
“Donating leftovers to offsite shelters and community organizations is a great initiative, but can be logistically challenging and labour intensive,” says Cassandre Pretorius, manager of events and protocol with uOttawa’s Ceremonies and Events office. “This program will make it easier for event organizers to donate food and, most importantly, provide food to our students. We definitely plan on using the Free Food Alert app for future events on campus. I hope that many students subscribe so we can make it a success.”
Over 56% of postsecondary students in Canada grapple with food insecurity. Many struggle to afford balanced or nutritious meals and some even skip meals due to lack of funds. The uOttawa Student Union’s food bank has seen a 400% increase in demand over the past three years.
“This program will make it easier for event organizers to donate food and, most importantly, provide food to our students.”
Cassandre Pretorius
— Manager of events and protocol with uOttawa’s Ceremonies and Events office
The University of Ottawa is the first university in Canada to roll out this initiative.
Professors and staff can opt in and become giveaway hosts who send out alerts at the end of their campus events.
Subscribers must be students, professors or staff with a @uOttawa.ca email address.
Third-year nutrition student Sandrine Poulin, who’s filming a video to promote the French version of the program, says: “Food plays such an important role in making sure students have the energy to learn and do well. The chance to access free food on campus will no doubt be a goldmine for students.”
“Food plays such an important role in making sure students have the energy to learn and do well. The chance to access free food on campus will no doubt be a goldmine for students.”
Sandrine Poulin
— Third-year nutrition student
If they download the app, subscribers will get alert notifications on their phones, and an email alert to their @uOttawa email address. Students will have a limited timeframe (set by the giveaway host) in which to pick up the food. They must also use their own Tupperware containers, thermoses or re-usable mugs.
Angela Plant, uOttawa residual resources co-ordinator, says: “While we have a campus-wide compost program to make sure as much food as possible gets composted, it would be much better to save food that can be enjoyed by students within our community.”
Sign up for the Free Food Alert today to end food waste and get free food!
Discover more about food sustainability on campus.
The University of Ottawa ranks ninth in Canada and 20th in North America for sustainability, according to the 2024 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings: Sustainability, for its:
- Reduced energy consumption on campus
- Consideration of climate impact when organizing events
- Climate-proofed campus infrastructure
- Efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and become a zero-waste campus