In 2024, the parish ran a pilot project serving a free meal once a month at the Friel student residence using funds left over from Open Table, a pre-pandemic ecumenical project, and a $5,000 grant from the Anglican Foundation. Last year, they served 12 meals at the residence, partnering with St. Bartholomew’s parish for two of them and with a couple of other groups for others. Each meal attracted about 250 students, and St. Albans heard very positive feedback.

The Rev. Michael Garner, incumbent at St. Albans, acknowledges that meals such as these don’t address the larger problem of student food insecurity, but the project was intended to raise awareness at the university and to build a sense of community. The meals served in the Friel residence last year encouraged students to sit down and eat together. “In the individual conversations I have with students, whether I’m serving at a meal or as a chaplain in a meeting, there’s a broad sense of loneliness. That’s societal, but it’s certainly on campus,” Garner said.

In that sense the meals were an outreach of pastoral care for students. “It’s a group of people saying we actually care about you guys, and you don’t have to do anything for us, but we’ll be here and we’re going to eat some food and care for you in tangible ways, but then if you want to have a conversation, you know, we’re here as well.”

Being at the residence every two weeks allowed the parish volunteers to get to know a lot of the students. Garner recounted how one of the St. Albans parishioners was volunteering as a greeter. While talking with one young man she asked why he kept looking over at a person sitting at a table alone. “I kind of want to ask her out,” he said. She encouraged him to just go sit with her and then saw that they spent the evening chatting. There were small moments like that, but Garner said they also helped a couple of students apply for Masters’ programs and other pragmatic things “because they got to know and trust us.”

Despite all the positive feedback, Garner said the university told him they didn’t have funding to help continue the program at the Friel residence this year.

The University of Ottawa Students’ Union, however, was keen to partner with St. Albans. I’ve been building relationships within the undergraduate student union. They run the food bank on campus, and we had done a food pantry [in the chaplaincy office] a couple years ago. so we had a link with them. Over time, I think our different activities on campus sort of gave us legitimacy with the student union….. So, we’ve pivoted this fall and we’re doing some pilots this year on the main campus.”

As a part of “Fed Up,” the union’s food security program, three or four student volunteers with work with some St. Albans congregation members. “We’re going to start cooking the meal together at 8 or 9 in the morning, and then serve a free lunch for students in an atrium area of the student union building.

Their first lunch was on Oct. 5. “I got a great deal on three massive induction friendly pots that each hold 24 quarts, and so we made 60 litres of red lentil soup with North African spices and paprika butter,” said Garner. Afterwards, the student volunteers will get the recipe and a gift card for a grocery store along with the encouragement: “You’ve made this recipe, now cook it for your friends and have a meal together.” So, it is both to empower them on how to cook nutritious, cheap food but also the importance of gathering together.”  On Nov. 5, they plan to cook vegetarian chili and then on Dec. 3, do another mean at Friel when St. Albans members and students can just eat together.

Garner says he has been struck by how keen the student union has been to promote St. Albans as their partner. “One of my theological convictions is if the church just expresses the fruits of the spirit — kindness and patience and gentleness and all of these traits— in the world, it becomes hugely attractive.” He added that some of the students who don’t attend the church have been recommending it to others. “’If you are looking for a church, you should try St. Albans.’ It was bizarre, and it was just lovely because they’re seeing us as people who care about students.”

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University of Ottawa students love the meal at Friel

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The Rev. Michael Garner, who is Incumbent at St. Albans as well a part of the multi-faith chaplaincy at the university, was inspired to start the project after learning that food insecurity is a common problem for university students, magnified by recent high levels of inflation. He learned that the campus food bank has very limited resources and often runs out of food. Although a meal once every two weeks isn’t the solution for student food insecurity on campus, it is a part of an effort to raise awareness about the issue, and it provides an opportunity for church groups to express care and concern for students and a social event to help students connect with one another.

Students at the Sept. 25 dinner expressed their appreciation and spoke about the struggle to make ends meet. “Sometimes I wonder if I should just eat the same thing over and over to save money,” one student told Perspective. “I’m lucky that I can ask my parents for help, but I don’t want to be asking them all the time,” she said, noting that spending $150 recently amounted to surprisingly few groceries that would not last through the month.

The project follows in the footsteps of an ecumenical program called Open Table that St. Albans used to participate in with United and Presbyterian churches to host meals on campus before the pandemic. Open Table has provided $12,000 from its remaining funds for this project, half of which is being used to pay a student co-ordinator, and the other half will help pay for food and supplies. The alumni association heard about the project and donated $2,000 for equipment such as bain-maries to keep food hot while it is being served.

St. Albans’ parishioners have prepared and served two meals so far. They are looking for other Anglican parishes, ecumenical and interfaith partners to participate in the program.

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