“The last thing any student should have to worry about is what they're going to eat”
As a former sheet metal apprentice, Justin Nand remembers how tough the start of the first term can be.
“Their [funding] doesn't kick in for a couple weeks,” says Nand (Bachelor of Business Administration ’16, Finance ’13). “So that period where they're not getting any income is very difficult for a lot of students.”
One of those students stands out for him. When Nand became president of the NAIT Students’ Association (NAITSA), he helped launch the Emergency Food Centre in 2015, and also set up food bank boxes at satellite campuses. At Patricia Campus, he met an apprentice who had lost his wallet and relied on that food while going to class.
“If it weren’t for that food bank box, he would have had to drop out of his apprenticeship and go back home because he wasn’t from Edmonton,” says Nand.
Since graduating, Nand has continued to fundraise every year for the food centre for students across NAIT. Demand has only continued to grow, underpinning the need for what’s become an annual holiday campaign to fill hampers for those who find themselves in need.
“The last thing any student should have to worry about is what they're going to eat,” Nand says. “I hope food will never be the reason a student can’t finish their education.”
Donate to the NAITSA Emergency Food Centre
“Everyone is feeling the rise in food costs”
Students’ access to food, however, continues to be a concern at Canadian post-secondary campuses. A survey 2024 by TD Bank Group found that 45% were "unable to adequately cover basic needs such as food and housing.”The Emergency Food Centre continues to work to meet that demand.
The centre began as food boxes placed across campus for students to give or take food. Within the year, NAITSA established a dedicated space offering hampers to help students through unexpected hardships like a car breaking down or job loss.
Over the past 10 years, 4,415 hampers have been distributed to students experiencing financial emergencies.
NAITSA president and JR Shaw School of Business student Lilly Houcher doesn’t see that slowing any time soon.
“Everyone is feeling the rise of food costs and post-secondary students are no different,” she says. “The centre helps bridge that gap and makes NAIT a more accessible, supportive place.”
Houcher isn’t alone in recognizing the importance of that. To help, Walker Wood Foundation, a supporter of post-secondary institutes across Canada, will match total donations of up to $10,000. Those made by 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31 will receive a 2025 tax receipt.
Feeding the future, a hamper at a time
While a food hamper could be the difference between a balanced meal and a bowl of ramen, Houcher points to a bigger picture: healthy students mean a healthy economy. To feed one is to feed the other.
When students are hungry, it affects their academic performance and that can ultimately “affect the industry” says Houcher.
As the chair of NAIT’s Alumni Association Advisory Committee, Nand believes grads like him can play a role in – and set an example by - supporting that upcoming generation of students. He hopes his own efforts help many more students like that apprentice, who thanked him for making those food boxes available on campus.
“I hope that he never has to deal with any food issues and, if he is able to, maybe he pays it forward and donates as well.”
What’s in an emergency hamper?
Each hamper from NAITSA’s Emergency Food Centre is designed to provide two to four weeks' worth of non-perishable items.
These include products such as peanut butter, canned goods (soups, vegetables, proteins and fruits), dry pasta, rice and granola bars, as well as hygiene items based on availability, such as deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes, razors and feminine hygiene products.
Hampers cost between $150 and $175 to assemble. Students can collect a hamper once a month.
Donate to the NAITSA Emergency Food Centre