Student-run Sprouts cafe reopened earlier this month, running the same programs as last year despite funding difficulties and a smaller space, shrunk by a construction zone.
Sprouts runs on volunteer labour, like Co-President Gizel Gedik, who said she spends a minimum of 15-20 hours per week volunteering at the cafe.
In addition to 30 free meals daily and a by-donation produce market, Sprouts runs a community fridge, weekly by-donation lunches and Distro Saturdays where volunteers make free meals to give out on campus and the Downtown Eastside.
Since their first day reopening for the year, UBC students have lined up for food, coffee and fresh produce from Sprouts.
Grace Bell, a first-year BA student went to Sprouts for her first time last week. “A meal for three dollars just seems crazy to me,” she said, “we need more of it.” She left Sprouts with a fresh bundle of kale from the community fridge.
Jessica Tran, a fifth-year geography student and long-time Sprouts customer, was introduced to Sprouts by a friend when they were both struggling to find cost-friendly food for students. Tran enjoys their affordable lunches and snacks. When asked to sum up Sprouts in one word, Tran replied, “Community.”
Tran expressed concern with how the construction of a new recreation centre outside the Life Building is impacting the comfort students have always found at Sprouts.
Sprouts’ dining area has been reduced, removing their windows and pushing tables into the hallway of the building.
“It feels a little bit like we’re just pushed in the back of some basement,” Tran said.
According to Gedik, representatives from Sprouts were not informed or consulted before the construction began. Gedik also added that the construction has caused flooding and reduced the space available for people to sit.
In a written statement, AMS VP Administration Ben Du said a virtual town hall was held on June 23 to inform clubs in the lower level of the Life Building about the construction.
Du emphasized once the construction ends, the AMS believes the corridor Sprouts is in will be a "vibrant primary pedestrian connector" between the Nest and the new recreation centre, bringing more students to Sprouts.
Funding for food security
Sprouts has also been pushing for more funding from UBC. As of late July, the Food Security Initiative had agreed to give Sprouts $15,000 for the 2022/23 academic year, 54 per cent of the $27,000 offered in 2021/22.
After meetings between Sprouts and the UBC Food Security Initiative, this was increased to $25,000 later in the summer. Last week, following advocacy from food security initiatives and the AMS, the President's Office allocated Sprouts a further $30,000 from a new one-time allocation, increasing the total to $55,000.
Sprouts Co-President Delanie Austin said that while the increased funding is helpful to keep Sprouts' programs running without spending student money, continually fighting for one-time funding is not sustainable.
"We don't really want to leave a legacy of everyone having to keeping fighting and fighting for this money," she said.
"What happens next year?"
— With files from Bea Lehmann