‘Pay-what-you-can’ market helps support students facing food security challenges

Higher food prices are taking a bite out of Canadian’s wallets and students in Waterloo region are no exception. The new Mini Market has opened on Wilfrid Laurier University’s campus for students experiencing food insecurity, which is helping some Golden Hawks at little to no cost.

Laurier’s newest addition may be small in size but the Mini Market is big at heart.

“I think it's a great idea that we're implementing now and I also think that we do need to promote it a bit better,” one Laurier University student told CTV News.

The market is addressing food insecurity among students with a pay-what-you-can model.

"It’s self defined so they can pay anything from full price for the food that they're bringing home or no charge at all," said founder of the Mini Market and president of Laurier’s Graduate Student’s Association (GSA), Jeremy Wagner.

Customers can pick the food they want and pay either full price, a 25 per cent to 50 per cent discounted price, or simply state what they can afford based on their budget. For first year student Austin Ardor, this has been a game changer.

"It allows you to not worry as much about the necessities of life and focus more on your studies and like having those things on campus and having Laurier afford things like that means a   lot to students," said Austin.

Paying for his own tuition and living costs, Austin is thrilled to have a discounted grocery store on campus.

"A lot of the stigma that we have is more internalized but a lot of people, especially students, understand what it's like. It doesn't matter who you are," added Austin.

Wagner says they first had the idea for the market in 2020 - at the height of the pandemic.

"We found out that 23% of students at Laurier are severely food insecure. Through support from Student Affairs, the Student Union and of course the Graduate Students’ Association, which has been leading the initiative, we got initial start up funding to launch the Mini Market," said Wagner.

The market has only been open for a month but Food Security Development Coordinator Ricky Jasson says they’ve already seen handfuls of students benefiting, buying items like dried goods, fresh produce and toiletries.

"There’s always someone here like ready to lend out a hand and make sure that students have an easier life," explained Jasson.

Looking to the future, Jasson says they would like to expand these stores to other Laurier campuses.

"Reach shouldn't stop within the borderlines of Waterloo. We should be able to come into every single Laurier campus and be able to offer this to students and everything," said Jasson.

The market is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and food donations are welcomed.