TRSS recognized for their efforts to fight food insecurity with CABS award

The Ted Rogers Students’ Society (TRSS) received the Best Wellness Initiative Award by the Canadian Association of Business Students (external link, opens in new window)  (CABS) for their program to support Ted Rogers School of Management students in need. 

CABS is a not for profit organization that represents over 70,000 business students from 23 universities in Canada. Its annual awards program (external link, opens in new window)  celebrates excellence with business students and business student associations. The Best Wellness Initiative Award is given to a CABS Member Society judged to create a meaningful initiative that promotes wellness to students, bringing the most incremental value to its business school student community. This year’s award went to the TRSS Food Insecurity Project. 

The TRSS Food Insecurity Project was introduced this year to address a pressing issue among university students today who struggle to find affordable food options. This initiative aimed to provide "5-Meal Pack" passes, each valued at $75, to 100 students facing immediate food insecurities. 

After working with the TRSM Student Engagement team to conduct outreach to students who showcased need through AwardSpring, students completed a form, and were contacted if they were a successful applicant for this program and their OneCard was loaded with meal pack swipes. These meal packs, designed to cater to nutritional needs and various dietary restrictions, are redeemable at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) dining halls in an All-You-Care-to-Eat (AYCTE) manner. The automatic funds being loaded on the students’ OneCard also meant that it took away the stigma that comes with food insecurity.

“Recognizing the prevalent issue of food insecurity on our campus, this initiative is a crucial response by TRSS to the growing need for support,” says Husnaa Zamarai, TRSS President. “The unique aspect lies in the seamless process of loading the meal pack directly onto student OneCards and using back-end financial need indicators through the AwardSpring database, ensuring student privacy and minimizing stigma.” 

Within four days, over 200 Ted Rogers School students applied for the support. Some of the students voluntarily shared in their responses that they were worried about asking for help due to the stigma around food insecurity, while others shared they were facing issues like homelessness.

The first 100 students who applied to the program were transferred meal packs, and the remaining students were given Ted's Kitchen gift cards provided by the TRSM Office of the Dean through donor funds. 

"It's an honour to be recognized by the Canadian Association of Business Students for this project which showcases TRSS's commitment to addressing the urgent issue of food insecurity among our students,” says Zamarai. “This recognition not only validates our approach, but also inspires us to continue our work, ensuring every student has access to the resources they need to thrive through stigma-free support systems. We hope that this project will lead to more initiatives targeting student food insecurity, as well as diversified ways of providing student aid."

This is not the first time TRSS has been recognized for their work to improve student wellness. Last year, the group also received the Best Wellness Initiative Award from CABS for their EDI Well-Being Space at the Ted Rogers School. This recognition for the second consecutive year shines a light on the EDI-focused initiatives led by our school’s student leaders.