Food
Centre

The NAITSA Food Centre is here to help. We have a variety of resources including emergency food assistance and information for nutrition on a budget.

Food
Centre

The NAITSA Food Centre is here to help. We have a variety of resources including emergency food assistance and information for nutrition on a budget.

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The NAIT Students’ Association is doing everything possible to limit the chance of person-to person transmission of COVID-19. While our physical offices are closed, we are making every effort to fulfill hamper requests in this difficult time. Hampers are still being fulfilled but at a limited capacity, please fill in the request form as usual and we will contact you for details. Thank you for your patience.

We are running our annual “NAIT Can Donate” food drive from February 22-March 22. Sponsored by Shop@NAIT, donations are accepted online and in-store. Thank you for supporting NAIT students in need. Click here to learn more.

request a hamper
sign up to volunteer
make a donation

Who is eligible

Since beginning in 2014, The NAITSA Food Centre has experienced significant growth, but even more so in the last year. In order to keep this vital service available and sustainable, we must limit our approved hampers to only our NAITSA members (credit students who are charged the NAITSA fee in their tuition).

How it works

• Click on “Request a Hamper” button above and log in to your “Ooks Life” account to fill out a hamper request.
• Each food hamper aims to provide 3-5 days’ worth of non-perishable food for emergency food security.
• You may apply twice per month, one during the first half and once during the second half.
• Please note that we require 1 business day to process your request.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Suggested Donations
High Need Products

  • Canned Vegetables (e.g. Corn, Peas, Carrots, etc.)
  • Canned Fruits (e.g. Peaches, Pineapple, Applesauce, etc)
  • Powdered Milk
  • Peanut Butter
  • Rice Products (e.g. Uncle Ben’s Sidekicks)
  • Additionally, NAITSA will gladly accept toiletries and hygiene products – razors, toothbrushes, travel size soaps/shampoos, etc.

Please Note: At this time, the Food Centre CANNOT accept perishable food items (produce, non powdered dairy,meat products). Click here to download a list of needed items.

Suggested Donations: Additional Information
  • Pop-top cans are preferable to cans requiring a can opener, if possible
  • Donations of items such as Chef Boyardee, etc. are wonderful, but they also are only useful for a single meal – items such as those on the above list, however, can be stretched out over meals if need be.
  • Although we appreciate all donations, we would ask that donors pay attention to product expiration dates before donating to the NAITSA Food Centre.
Information on Best Before Dates
Many consumers have concerns around expiry/best before dates on their food products. For the non-perishable items we collect, these dates are no indication of food safety –as long as they are unopened, the products are still perfectly safe to consume without any health risks. ‘Best Before’ dates on non-perishable products are used to indicate optimum freshness – after the indicated date the food may lose some of its freshness and nutritional value, and may have a slightly different texture. However, it will still be safe to consume.

Keeping all that in mind, we here at the NAITSA Food Centre do encourage donors to pay attention to ‘Best Before’ dates on items donated, as we can make better use out of items well within their dates.

More information on the topic can be found at the following links:

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Edmonton Food Bank

The Edmonton Food Bank can provide you with a food hamper that includes perishable food items (produce, meat products, eggs, etc based on what they have) once per month.

Those in need can either call 780-425-4190 or receive a referral from NAITSA (contact foodcentre@nait.ca for more information in this regard).

The Edmonton Food Bank staff will provide you with a location closer to your home. You will need a valid photo ID and bags to carry the food when picking it up.

https://www.edmontonsfoodbank.com/need-help/

Wecan Food Society

Wecan is a non-profit group that helps people buy fresh fruit and vegetables and freshly frozen meat for $25.00 a month. Members receive three types of fruit, three types of vegetables, and three types of freshly frozen meat. You do not need to buy a membership or make an order every month. Unfortunately the NAITSA Food Centre is unable to act as a depot at this time, however here is a list of depots.

For more information, please visit WECAN FOOD SOCIETY website.

211 Edmonton

211 is an Edmonton-based referral phone line that connects people to social, government, and health services in their area. 211 can provide service beyond food needs and can specialize in referrals to your needs and area.

211 – Resource Lists

Nutrition and Oral Health

Click here to download your quick guide to a Healthy, Happy Mouth.

Community Pantry
NAIT student creates free ‘community pantry’ in Oliver

MAKE A DONATION

Thank you for considering to donate to the NAITSA Food Centre during this difficult time.

Since September 2014, the NAIT Students’ Association has been doing everything possible to provide emergency food assistance to students in need. We are very grateful for all the support and donations we have received throughout these years.

If you wish to contribute to the NAITSA Food Centre, you can send us a donation using Interac e-Transfer. All you need to do is access your banking account and send a donation to accounts@naitsa.ca. The NAITSA Food Centre will also gladly accept non-perishable donations. If you wish to donate in-person, please email us at foodcentre@nait.ca.

Thank you kindly for your support, and know your contribution will not go unnoticed!

Let’s hear from you!

Submit a testimonial about your Food Centre experience here.

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