College takes time to recognize SA service for combating food insecurity, through Chef’s Meals to Go.
The work of the Student Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) has not gone unnoticed.
The Student Association (SA) service was presented with a recognition award by President Gervan Fearon, for its Chef’s Meals to Go program in late March. The program is a collaborative effort with the Chef School at George Brown College (GBC).
“It’s a really innovative program that was started by one of our instructors,” said Fearon. “Many college students have been supported, and this is an opportunity to recognize those individuals who have been a part of the SNAP program, and to be able to support the good work being done by the Student Association in collaboration with the college.”
The program is a partnership with the Chef School and brings gourmet cuisine to GBC students, giving them an elevated dining experience. This program aims to cut down on food waste by providing food items like desserts, produce, and meals prepared using the surplus food items from GBC’s cooking and baking labs.
The SNAP team then takes on the responsibility of distributing them to students at the Saint James Campus, ensuring that the food is labelled properly to address dietary restrictions.
SNAP coordinator, Ruka Watanabe says, “it works to divert food from getting wasted and at the same time, works to address food insecurity on campus by being able to provide additional meals and food for the student community.”
Ian Wigglesworth, associate vice-president, student success, also had words of congratulations, noting the importance of the partnership.
“The relationship is symbiotic, and I think that coming together today is so important because it lets the college acknowledge all the work that these students have done, and we’re just so proud and happy to be a part of it.”
In 2024, the program distributed 3,847 meals and food items across three semesters. This redistribution of food is a great achievement towards sustainable food access, especially at a time when food insecurity has been declared a city-wide emergency.
Watanabe believes that the recognition is positive feedback from the leadership level of GBC and shows the importance of SNAP as a service.
“Receiving an award like this and being recognized for the effort that is being put in, shows the significance and the importance of the work the team does as well as the impact.”
