First-year international students can’t access food bank

Concerns are being raised about a local food bank’s policy of not offering services to international students in their first year of post-secondary schooling.

“The Greater Vancouver Food Bank says they are not providing food to international students in their first year, which is awful,” said Jaskaran Singh, an international student activist with Team We Care Canada.

He says the policy makes life harder for students new to the country who may lack resources and support.

“If we want to help international students, this is the one thing we can get rid of,” he said.

City of Vancouver Coun. Adrian Carr says the policy is problematic.

“The Vancouver Food Bank has this policy saying, well, they are supposed to have some money saved, so we are not going to give them or allow them to get food for a year,” she said.

According to federal guidelines, international students applying for a study permit this year have to show they have access to just over $20,000 to qualify.

“That’s not going to get very far, with the rents being what they are and the cost of living in Vancouver,” Carr said

“It’s just so hard.”

Carr says it is important all students have access to support when they need it.

She also points out the problem is systemic and is not unique to the GVFB.

“I’m not going to fault the food bank, because they have been overloaded. So many families and seniors have had to turn to them,” Carr said.

“I think senior governments need to step in to help.”

Neeraj Walia with the Guru Nanak Food Bank says they provide food to all international students, and he hopes the GVFB will follow their model.

“International students are under tremendous pressure. They need support from the very first day,” Walia said.

“If a government-supported food bank says no to someone, that is very questionable.”

The Leader Spirit has reached out to the CEO of the GVFB for comment.