Early Eats nourishes on-campus community

Harmanjot Singh (right) and two Early Eats volunteers serve breakfast to hungry UFV students.

The Student Union Society (SUS) is taking a bite out of food insecurity with a bi-weekly breakfast buffet. As Vice President External and Vice President Internal (and UFV students themselves), Roxy Granikovas and Harmanjot Singh are all about addressing student needs. They noticed that along with immediate demands like hunger, there was a need for connection in the tightly scheduled life of a working undergrad. From those necessities, and a grant from UFV’s 50th anniversary fund, the Early Eats program was born.

Food insecurity affects thousands of university students in Canada, and 65% see financial strain during their years of study — causing some to make the tough choice between buying a textbook or their next few meals. Early Eats provides a solution, feeding hundreds of hungry students throughout the fall and winter semesters — free of charge.

Every other Tuesday from 9 to 11 am in Evered Hall, this breakfast buffet offers healthy meals with options for dietary restrictions, including halal, dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free choices. This was especially important to Roxy, whose diet needs have often left them crossing their fingers for a vegan soup of the day — or surviving eight hours on hummus and gluten-free crackers.

“I’m fortunate that I can drive so I can go off campus to get food, but I know that’s not feasible for some folks,” they say. “So now, everybody can eat — Early Eats is catered to everybody. That’s something that SUS takes seriously: making sure all our students have the same opportunities.”

Sustainability is also a top priority. All supplies are fully compostable or reusable.

For Harmanjot, the best part is the smiles. Students are happy whenever they see food, he says. He likes to stop by to greet newcomers and catch up with familiar faces. “We know how difficult student life can be, so it’s nice to be in touch with the community.”

“It’s very wholesome,” Roxy agrees. “I think it’s such a great opportunity to bring the community together and enjoy a meal… to connect and engage with one another a little bit more. The pandemic really made people realize what they were missing out on.”

It’s not just the student patrons looking for a side of connection along with their meal. Many of its volunteers are first-years who joined to meet new people, making Early Eats a nourishing opportunity from both sides of the table.

SUS has been serving up even more opportunities for on-campus engagement since UFV’s return to campus, with Early Eats as only one example. Others include outdoor movies, a silent disco, and this month’s upcoming Easter egg hunt .

Though Roxy and Harmanjot look forward to graduating this year, leaving UFV is bittersweet — for such highly involved student leaders, it’s not over easy.

After eight years of building community through service, Roxy feels like time is speeding up as convocation grows closer. It seems like only yesterday that Harmanjot arrived in Canada as an international student.

“Trying to find my way through this whole new country and whole new life was exciting but challenging. So, it’s a nice feeling to be there for somebody else who’s going through the same thing,” Harmanjot reflects. “As graduation comes and my term comes to an end, it’s a bit sad I won’t get to do that so often. But I know other passionate students will take on the role.”

Though these two are moving on to greater things, they leave a helping hand behind; the Student Union Society and the Early Eats program will continue filling plates on their behalf. Ending food insecurity is no small feat — but changing the world begins with breakfast.

To learn more about Early Eats or other SUS programming, find them on social media .