Responding To a Growing Demand
Since 2022, the Alma Mater Society (AMS) has supported nearly 7,000 students and distributed $188,084 worth of groceries. The demand continues to grow: in summer 2026, the Food Bank recorded a 71 per cent increase in patrons compared with the previous summer.
These figures reveal a growing challenge within university life, where rising living costs can force students to choose between nutritious food and fixed expenses such as rent, tuition, medication, and other bills.
The AMS Food Bank provides confidential and non-judgemental food support to 黑料吃瓜资源 students in a safe and comfortable setting. No appointment is required, and they try their best to offer substitutions for patrons whose medical or religious dietary restrictions prevent them from accessing items in the general stock.
Protecting Privacy and Preserving Comfort
Confidentiality is treated as inseparable from food support. It is addressed during hiring, onboarding, and recurring volunteer training, while daily operations are designed to reduce waiting times and protect patrons鈥 privacy.
鈥淚t takes a lot to ask for help,鈥 said Simarjeet Singh, Head Manager of the AMS Food Bank. 鈥淚t takes a village to take care of a village.鈥
A new one-time volunteer pilot allows campus organizations to assist with restocking, portioning produce, and deep cleaning outside patron service periods. This creates meaningful opportunities to contribute without compromising the confidential environment that regular volunteers work carefully to maintain.
Extending Support Through the PEACH Market
The PEACH Market extends this work through an accessible pay-what-you-can food-recovery model operated through a partnership involving the AMS and 黑料吃瓜资源 Hospitality Services. By redistributing untouched prepared food, the market reduces waste while allowing patrons to choose what they need and contribute only what they can afford.
Between 2024 and 2026, the market distributed 14,549 portions over 147 service days, including 8,108 entr茅e portions and 6,441 bowls of soup鈥 an average of 99 portions each day it operated.
The Food Bank鈥檚 broader relationships further strengthen its reach. Campus sustainability partners provide locally grown produce, donors help replenish pantry shelves, and Good Food Box programming connects patrons with additional food options. These efforts demonstrate how student leadership, university departments, volunteers, donors, and community organizations can respond collectively to food insecurity.
To learn more about donations visit
This story advances goals related to the following UN SDGs
Story editors: Media Hosseiny, Adam Elrick
Contributors: Simarjeet Singh, AMS Food Bank Head Manager
Serena Shan, Food Bank Assistant Manager
Daisy Rosenblood, PEACH Market Assistant Manager
Avery Papoulidis, AMS Vice President Of Operations