$400,000 of university food security funding in limbo, student leaders claim

AMS VP Academic and University Affairs Jaiya Panchi has written a letter addressed to the Board of Governors and UBC's administration criticizing the university's decision to allocate $400,000 of Food Security Initiative (FSI) funding to a new food prescription program, instead of putting the entire $1.2 million fund toward student-led initiatives.

Panchi told The Ubyssey that last year, student groups consistently asked for a $1.2 million annual commitment in funding for student-led FSI. Before this year, UBC dedicated $800,000 toward FSI. This year, FSI got a $400,000 increase in the university's budget passed at the end of March.

However, UBC's decision to use that increase to fund a non-student-led program came as a shock to student advocates this September. Panchi claims that there was a verbal agreement between the involved student societies and the university about the $400,000 allocation to student-led initiatives like Sprouts and the AMS Food Bank.

"There is, quite frankly, no world in which the university can say that this was simply a misinterpretation" Panchi said.

The university did not respond to The Ubyssey's additional questions specifically on Panchi's claim by press time. UBC's Associate Vice-President, Student Health & Wellbeing Noorjean Hassam responded after publication with the following statement: "The University is engaged in ongoing discussions with student leaders on how to best use these funds to ensure the most impact in supporting students experiencing food insecurity. Our priority remains, as it always has been, delivering food security supports that are effective and as low-barrier as possible for the students who need them."

In addition to Panchi, the letter has also been signed by AMS President Dylan Evans, GSS President Hayley Lawrence, SUO President Olivia Lai, and UBCO's Graduate Student Association (GSA) Chairperson Scarlett MacPherson.

Panchi said "the long-standing precedent [has been] that elected student leaders have a seat at the table that determines where this FSI funding goes. To depart from this in a way where nothing has been communicated is a slap in the face."

The food prescription program was introduced this month and operates in the recently renamed MacIsaac Health Building. The program was funded by a recent $3.5 million gift from RBC — their largest-ever donation to a post-secondary institute. As a part of this program, students facing food insecurity must undergo physical and mental health screenings. Only if they are identified as at risk do they get access to its benefits.

"The food prescription program introduces additional bureaucracy into accessing basic food supports by requiring students to disclose their food insecurity," the letter states. "This departs from the low-barrier and non-judgmental model of student-led food security programs, which do not require students to prove or explain their need as a condition of accessing food."

The letter discusses further concerns about program's efficacy. For instance, students who access the program are given swipes on a UBC meal card which can be used at first-year residence dining halls, the letter says.

Panchi said this system "circulates [the funding] back through UBC-operated dining services" and "risks further stigmatizing food insecurity rather than addressing it with dignity."

In a statement to The Ubyssey, Hassam wrote: "We’ve heard the concerns raised, including that the program’s screening and meal-swipe model may feel stigmatizing, or may not be well suited to graduate students or international students’ circumstances. We take that feedback seriously, and with this pilot, we will be evaluating the program to see how we can refine the program if it continues to be supported."

Student-led initiatives will continue to receive $800,000 yearly. However, some claim they will still be negatively affected after UBC decided not to provide the additional $400,000 Panchi said they had promised.

Sprouts is one of the student organizations that could be negatively affected by the funding allocation. They are a student-run organization that responds to food insecurity with several initiatives, including a produce market and a community fridge. They also have a seat on the AMS's ad hoc FSI committee, chaired by Panchi and tasked with bringing suggestions to the GSS and AMS about allocation of UBC Vancouver's portion of the funding.

Sprouts co-president Zoe Bishop initially told The Ubyssey they received information from Panchi that the GSS had "restructured their budget to account for increased funding." UBC's decision to put the $400,000 towards the food prescription program jeopardizes those plans.

The Ubyssey confirmed this information was shared with Sprouts via an email from Panchi dated Aug. 31. The email also scheduled a meeting of the FSI committee for Sept. 9, which Sprouts representatives did not attend.

The GSS did not respond to The Ubyssey's request for clarification until after publication. In their statement, Vice-President External Charles Adkins said the GSS "did not restructure [their] budget due to FSI funding changes from UBC." He added the "decision to cut Sprout's funding was not impacted by UBC's funding" allocation. Adkins said he believes the confusion comes from "a series of miscommunications about where funding asks from student organizations have been coming from and from which pools of money." He said the GSS is "sorting this out" internally.

Days after the initial interview, Sprouts reached out to The Ubyssey asking to clarify their statements. Bishop said that after consulting with the GSS, they are now unsure whether their budget will be affected.

"The FSI committee is supposed to be a trusted resource, but we found out this morning that it is actually unclear whether or not we're going to be experiencing a decrease," Bishop said.

When asked if Panchi misrepresented funding allocations, Sprouts co-president Lou Rich said they "have no idea ... We don't know if the information we're being given is correct [and] we don't know what the state of our funding is."

Bishop and Rich said that Sprouts is searching for stability in the future, as well as greater transparency from both the AMS and the university.

In a statement to The Ubyssey, Panchi wrote: "I have been nothing short of transparent with the ad hoc FSI committee, and given that I am advocating strongly to the University for additional funding for this academic year, I am unsure why these questions and concerns were not raised with me directly."

Panchi also wrote that according to the FSI committee's terms of reference, "funding must serve as a baseline and must not be lowered. The AMS Food Bank received $479,000 and Sprouts received $59,000 last year. The GSS, however, requested an additional $30,000 compared to last year, meaning that the amount available for the AMS Food Bank and Sprouts decreases if we do not receive a portion of the additional $400,000."

In recent years, the Food Bank has seen increased student use, with 27,552 visits in the 2025–26 school year — the highest in its history. In the AMS's 2026–27 Academic Experience Survey, 37 per cent of students said they are worried about not being able to afford adequate groceries at some point in the previous year. BIPOC students reported higher rates of food insecurity, with especially high rates among Indigenous, Black, Central Asian, South Asian, southeast Asian, Southwest Asian, North African, and Latin American students.

Panchi claims that in response to her letter, UBC's VP Students Andrew Parr addressed the concerns raised about the food prescription program. According to her, Parr said there will be an annual review to determine the effectiveness of the program, and that he would be receptive to potentially allocating some of those additional funds towards student-led initiatives. The Ubyssey hasn't been able to independently verify those statements.

"Nonetheless," Panchi said, "we believe that new approaches to addressing food insecurity should not compromise existing student-led programs that are low-barrier and [that] effectively reach students."

Apply for erasureSend a tipReport an error