Students secure $160K more for Ryerson food bank in landslide referendum vote

Students atRyersonhave overwhelmingly votedin a referendum to increase funding for the university's Good Food Centre.

About 75 per cent of voters approved a $2.50 bi-annual levy on full-time student tuition so the food bank can keep up with skyrocketing demand for its services.

The referendum ballot was for both the Good Food Centre and the Ryerson Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line. The organizations will now split a $5-per-semester tuition increase. The change takes effect in September 2018.

"It was a really big win for us," saidGood Food Centre coordinator Claire Davis.

The Good Food Centre, which currently has more than 600 members who visit approximately 3,000 times annually, is funded under the Ryerson Students Union budget. This year, the food bankgot $24,900, but is now poised to receive more than $186,000 annually.

"It means we can restock our shelves," Davis told CBC Toronto on Wednesday.

The small food bank in the RyersonStudent Centre on Gould Street is stockedwith donated canned food, rice, cereal, as well as milk, eggs, frozen meats and sometimes fresh produce. The campus facility opened 25 years ago.

With the soaring cost of rent in downtown Torontoand tuition ranging from$7,000 and $11,000, Davis explains more students are using the service each year andthe food bankhasbeen running out of food as a result.

"It's really hard living in Toronto as a student to balance the cost of living," she said,noting many students rely onthe Good Food Centrebecause downtown grocery stores are too expensive for their budget.

But she says thisinfusion of funds will ensure the food bankwon't have to turn any students awaynext fall.

"It will be a lot better to operate a service that is able to keep up with demand," said Davis.