Food Cupboard - Algonquin Students' Association

Food Cupboard

Services » Food Cupboard


Hours of Operation

*Available by appointment only


Location

Ottawa Campus, B102


Contact

Food Cupboard
foodcupboardsa@algonquincollege.com

Get to Know the Food Cupboard

The Food Cupboard is a discreet and confidential support service that provides students who are experiencing food insecurity with food and other basic necessities.

Please Note:

We receive most of our food from the Ottawa Food Bank and the rest from the community through donations of food and money. Due to the rising cost of living, the number of people going to food banks is increasing, but the funding for food banks has stayed the same.

Because of this, the Ottawa Food Bank has had to change how much food the SA Food Cupboard receives. We are receiving a lot less than before, and you’ll notice that the amount of food and variety of food you receive at your monthly visit has reduced. We know this is hard, and we are truly sorry it’s happening.

Who Can Access

Are you a student who is experiencing food insecurity due to one or more of the following reasons? You may be eligible to access the Food Cupboard.

  • You are in an emergency or crisis
  • You are at risk of becoming homeless
  • You are missing meals regularly
  • You are not able to afford the necessities of life
  • You are unable to work due to physical and/or mental challenges
  • You have no other avenue to find food, and you have exhausted other resources

Please note that the Food Cupboard resources are limited, and we are prioritizing those who are in urgent need of food.

If you would like to receive a list of additional resources related to accessing food, before using the Food Cupboard services or after, please contact the Food Cupboard by email.

How to Access

Ottawa students: Students can access the Food Cupboard one time per calendar month.

Complete BOTH the intake form (if you are new to the Food Cupboard) and the appointment booking. You will receive an appointment confirmation email once you have successfully booked an appointment.

Please bring with you to your appointment:

  • Your Student ID card
  • Plenty of bags to carry your items
  • Government-issued identification for your family members (e.g. Health card, passport, driver’s license, etc)

Pembroke students: Only complete an intake form. Students can access the Food Cupboard once every 30 days.

Perth students: Please visit The Table Community Food Centre.

Intake Form and Appointment Selection

Privacy and Data Collection:

The Algonquin Students’ Association Food Cupboard is a member agency of the Ottawa Food Bank. Member agencies of the Ottawa Food Bank use a shared database to store visitor information.

  • You do not have to answer all or any of the questions on this form. You will still get the same food and service. Any information you give on this form helps us work better together and helps to make food programs across the city better.
  • The information you give will go into our database. Only authorized staff and volunteers of food programs who are members of the Ottawa Food Bank network can see your information.
  • If you decide later that you don’t want your information in the database, you can ask to have it removed. Your information is automatically anonymized in the system after 7 years of not visiting a food program in the Ottawa Food Bank network.

If you have questions or concerns about how your personal information is used or stored, please speak with someone at Algonquin Students’ Association or contact the Ottawa Food Bank at feedback@ottawafoodbank.ca or 613-745-7001.

Funding

The Food Cupboard is funded largely by student activity fees. It is also funded by generous donations from staff, students, and community members.

Please note that the Food Cupboard’s resources are limited – we aim to serve those who need it the most.

Donations

The Food Cupboard is always accepting donations! Food donations can be dropped off at the main Student’s Association office (E114). Monetary donations can also be processed in E114.

Acceptable donations include the following:

  • Unopened, packaged, and non-perishable food donations (e.g. canned and packaged soups, canned beans, pasta, fruit, and meats)
  • Unopened personal items such as soap, toothpaste, and floss

We cannot accept any of the following items as donations:

  • Expired items or items past their best-before dates
  • Homemade goods such as cookies, muffins, etc.
  • Any perishable or frozen items (e.g. Milk, meat, fruits and vegetables, etc.)
  • Open containers of food (e.g. broken or ripped bags, partly-used tins of coffee, etc.)
  • Any items with quality concerns

Please contact the Food Cupboard by email for larger volume donations, events where you are collecting donations, or more information on donating.

FAQ

We use information from the intake form for two main reasons: to provide better, more personalized service to you and your household; and to better understand who is visiting food banks and food programs and what kind of support is needed in your community.

  • Any information you provide to a food program is stored in a secure database managed by the Ottawa Food Bank.
  • As of June 2025, most take-home grocery programs that work with the Ottawa Food Bank will have access to information in this database. Some programs will be exempt from the open network for safety and privacy reasons.
  • Only food program staff/volunteers that have been granted access to the secure database can see your personal information.
  • Summary data (for example, the number of women or seniors accessing food programs) is shared with the Ottawa Food Bank and its provincial and national partners (Feed Ontario and Food Banks Canada).
  • All of the data used by Food Banks Canada, Feed Ontario, and the Ottawa Food Bank is anonymized and/or aggregate. This means that individual personal information is not accessible, and that the data cannot be tied to you as an individual.
  • Because agencies in the Ottawa Food Bank network will share the same information, you will not need to provide the same information again if you visit different locations that are a part of the open network.

The Food Cupboard is located in room B102.

From the main entrance of C Building: After entering the doors, turn left and continue walking down the hallway (past the ‘Harvest Room’ signs). Turn left at the rainbow pillar at the end of the hall. The Food Cupboard is on the left, just before the doors leading outside.

Entering the College in the E Building (Student Commons) or the H Building: Walk past the campus store and cafeteria. Go up the ramp, cross the bridge and down the ramp (The Observatory Pub will be on your right). This will bring you to A Building. At the four-way intersection, turn left. Pass the history of Algonquin display which will bring you to the C Building. Walk past the outdoor windows on your right. At the end of the windows, turn right and walk to the end of this hall (walk past the ‘Harvest Room’ signs). Turn left at the rainbow pillar at the end of the hall. The Food Cupboard is on the left, just before the doors leading outside.

Ottawa students can access the Food Cupboard one time per calendar month.

Pembroke students can access the Food Cupboard once every 30 days.

Unfortunately, we currently do not have the means or capacity for students to access the Food Cupboard more than once a month. If you need additional food assistance between your visits to the Food Cupboard, let the Food Cupboard Coordinator know and they can provide a list of other food resources offered in the city of Ottawa. To find your local community food program, please visit https://www.ottawafoodbank.ca/get-help/ and enter your postal code to search.

Please bring your AC student card, plenty of bags to carry your items, and identification cards for other family/household members (e.g. for your spouse or children). If you are a single-person household, there is no need to bring additional identification.

Initiatives

SA Thrift Store

Your Students’ Association is proud to host the SA Thrift Store on select dates throughout the year. Pay it forward by donating lightly used items like clothes, kitchenware, and school supplies to support students in need. It’s a great way to give back, declutter, and positively impact your campus community.

Discover your next thrifted find and browse through a curated selection of gently used items for a more sustainable shopping experience open to all students and staff. Take what you need and pay what you can! All proceeds go to the SA Food Cupboard.

Winter Clothing Drive

The Food Cupboard is always grateful for clean, gently used winter clothing donations! We’re currently accepting coats, boots, and accessories like hats, mittens, and scarves to help keep our students warm during the cold winter months. Children’s winter clothing is also welcome!

Student Book Nook

Your Students’ Association has teamed up with the AC Hub to bring you a new Book Nook outside their space on the second floor of the Student Commons. If you’d like to donate your books, kindly drop them off at the AC Hub desk.

Please be advised that the Book Nook does not accept textbooks.

Go top