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

What is the Food Cupboard?

The Food Cupboard is here to support students facing food insecurity, meaning they might not have enough money for the meals they need. This can involve concerns about running out of food, sacrificing portion size or quality, skipping meals, or going without food altogether. Students can access this service once a month, as needed.

If you are having difficulty accessing food for ANY reason, please visit the Food Cupboard. We are here to help.

What can I expect during my Food Cupboard Appointment?

Before your appointment, make sure you bring your AC Student Card and any identification (ex. Health card, driver’s license, birth certificate, passport, etc.) for additional family or household members who will be sharing the food you receive.

When you arrive at the Food Cupboard, knock and a staff member will greet you. You’ll be asked to show your AC Student Card and identification (photos of identification are acceptable) for your family or household members, if applicable.

After checking in, you’ll walk through the Food Cupboard with a staff member and select the food and other items you’d like. Each section has limits based on your household size and the available stock. Once you’ve finished, your cart will be brought to the packing table so you can pack your items.

If you need specialty items—such as alternative milks, gluten-free products, or baby essentials like diapers—just ask a staff member. We’ll check if they’re available. You’re also welcome to browse extra items that are past their best-before date in the bin, as well as any available clothing items.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask a staff member before you leave.

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.

Intake Form and Appointment Selection - Ottawa Student Intake Form - Pembroke Student

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.

Additional Resources

  • Use the Ottawa Food Bank lookup tool to locate your local community food program.
  • Call 2-1-1 Ontario or visit their website to find resources for accessing food or for other challenges you may be facing.
  • The Ottawa Good Food Box (OGFB) increases access to affordable fruits and vegetables in Ottawa. You can buy fresh produce boxes for delivery or pick-up, with contents and options changing each week.
  • The Flipp app has flyers and deals for stores in your area. You can clip items, create shopping lists, and compare deals across stores in this app.
  • Odd Bunch reduces food waste in Canada by rescuing imperfect produce from farms and delivering discounted boxes of fruits and vegetables to your door each week.

If you need any more specific resources, please contact the SA Food Cupboard.

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.

Learn More About Thrift Store Donations Learn More About the Event

Fresh for $5

Your Students’ Association is proud to partner with the Ottawa Good Food Box to bring fresh and affordable produce directly to campus. Through our Fresh for $5 initiative, your SA is able to provide already budget-friendly produce bags and further subsidize them for students at only $5 per bag.

The Ottawa Good Food Box is a community-based, non-profit program that increases access to fresh fruits and vegetables through low-cost, seasonal food boxes offered year-round. By participating, you’re not only supporting your own well-being, but also contributing to a program that strengthens food access across the community.

Learn More About the Event

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!

The Book Swap Station

Your Students’ Association has teamed up with the AC Hub to bring you The Book Swap Station 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 Swap Station does not accept textbooks.

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