Food strategy group to hold campus-wide event Sept. 24

By Andrew Martel
September 18, 2013

A group on campus wants to get College Hill talking about their food.

The UNB/STU Campus Food Strategy Group and the Fredericton Community Kitchen are hosting a campus-wide event on Sept. 24 to get students interested in food issues and security and expand their membership.

“Whether you’re a business student, or a kin student, or a biologist, or an engineer, at some point you may have to face these issues, such as food security, and it’s important to face them head on as a student and if need be, switch your world views accordingly,” said Amanda Cavanagh, one of the  coordinators of the Campus Food Strategy Group.

The group will be hosting a FREDtalk from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. that will involve a discussion on food security in New Brunswick, followed by a viewing of a TEDxTalk by Jason Qu, called “The Secret Classroom,” discussing the roles of students and campuses on the subject of food security initiatives. This will be followed by a panel of local organizations discussing their initiatives, as well as an opportunity to network with the panel members.

The UNB/STU Campus Food Strategy Group was started on campus last year. Sarah-Jane Thiessen, who’s also a coordinator for the group, said they hope to get more students on campus involved this year.

“Last year, the group started building the relationships – it’s very much a relationship-building program. This year, our goal is to start building a bigger relationship with students and make it more of a student group,” Thiessen said.

Going forward, the group plans to work with students and the community to grow their group, the discussions on campus and the sense of community in Fredericton.

“We want to build cohesion for our members and have monthly meetings, potlucks, beer tastings. The big plan for the year is to grow food on campus, either in a garden or a greenhouse. UNB has two main greenhouses, and one of them is underused and hoping to get some space,” Cavanagh said.

This will possibly include working with some of the establishments on campus.

“We just finished speaking with Pat Hanson, the manager at the Cellar, and he is interested in using some of the food grown in the Cellar. It allows for a full-circle effect, where students can enjoy the produce that they helped grow on campus,” said Thiessen.

The event takes place Sept. 25 in Room 5 in Tilley Hall on the UNB campus, and is free for anyone to attend. For more information on the event or to get involved, email Unb.stu@studentfood.ca. For details on the event, search “FREDtalk: FOOD SECURITY” on Facebook