'Community Kitchen' helping to keep Bournemouth students fed this winter
The students' union is trying to help with the cost-of-living crisis
Bournemouth University has opened a ‘community kitchen’ to help students struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
The student union wants to encourage students worrying about their finances to help themselves to food, supplies and budget recipe ideas.
Sydnie O’Hara who is helping to run the project said:
“The student advice team noticed that students weren’t keen to visit local food banks as they felt they weren’t as in need as other members of the community, so we wanted to set something up for students and staff at BU.
“We really wanted to do something as a union to support students.”
Sydnie, along with welfare and community officer, Chike Dike were the student representatives responsible for the idea.
They wanted to create an open space, where students can meet, snack and study that wouldn’t be reminiscent of a traditional food bank.
Sydnie O’Hara said:
“We have framed it as a community kitchen so we’re hoping to use the space for socialising, as a study area, a place where students can get together. We’re also hoping to host some cooking classes for students, so we push ideas like cooking on a budget.”
"We realised that students feel there’s a bit of stigma around food banks but we do notice from the movement of food that it is being used and there is a high demand for it.”
Chike echoed these thoughts:
“We take feedback from students, and we noticed that 90% of students are worried about the cost-of-living crisis and 50% of them are less likely to spend money on food.”
To emphasise the community aspect of the idea, the kitchen runs solely on donations from local people and businesses.
Chike said:
“We welcome donations from anyone who wants to help and donate.”
The student union is looking for food donations of fresh, non-perishable food.
With Christmas approaching, many assume the bulk of the students will return ‘home’ but in fact, now is when the union need donations more than ever.
Bournemouth University has a vast international student population who cannot and do not return home for Christmas, so some will rely on the community kitchen throughout the winter break.
This is just one of many incentives Bournemouth University is pushing to help students during the cost-of-living epidemic, the others include: providing bursaries for students who want to join clubs, handing out food vouchers and a financial well-being webpage that aims to help students budget.