UTS Student Association launches ‘Bluebird Pantry’ initiative to provide students free food

By AMBER GRIFFIN

The University of Technology Sydney Student Association (UTSSA) has recently launched a student-run service called ‘Bluebird Pantry’ that offers free food and essential items for UTS students in need on campus.

Grounded in the principle of Mutual Aid, the initiative is an extension of UTS’s existing food welfare services ‘Bluebird Breakfast’ and ‘Night Owl Noodles’. The Bluebird Pantry has a grocery store style layout, with all stock displayed on shelves.

Bluebird Pantry runs Tuesday to Thursday from 12-3pm at UTS Building 2, Level 3 by UTSSA staff and dedicated volunteers. They provide fair distribution of perishable and non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, contraception, and general household supplies.

The Bluebird Pantry will also be holding a series of workshops for students during the beginning of the Spring semester. Everything from Urban Foraging to Zine making, to a simple recipe swap using ingredients from the pantry.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, and the current price of groceries, food insecurity has dramatically increased for students, creating a significant barrier to our success,” a UTSSA spokesperson said.

“So, we looked at how we could help. By harnessing the powers of charitable corporate donations, food wastage, and the kind spirit of the UTS community, we have been able to collect a wide range of items to give out to you (free of charge!) in the pantry.”

UTSSA’s main aim of this project is to assist students facing financial hardship by providing last minute meals to students, helping support students wellbeing by reducing financial stress, and continuing to support international students.

“We currently do not have funding for the pantry. However, building off its success we hope to campaign UTS for funding next year. We have received donations from a few organisations including non-perishable goods from Market City, Laundry powder from Euka, contraceptive items from ACON and sanitary items from Love Luna,” UTSSA President Anna Thieben said.

“We are so grateful to the organisations who we are working with and are always looking for exciting new partnerships to continue to help the students of UTS.”

With the rising cost of living and the financial stress that students are under in an attempt to balance study and work, the Bluebird Pantry is an initiative that makes a difference and is greatly appreciated by UTS students. Sarah Richmond, a student at UTS, told City Hub how much of a positive impact the food pantry has had.

“The free food pantry is such a great idea, it looks great and it’s nice to see students getting the help they need from fellow students, especially when grocery prices are so high,” she said.

“I think that Bluebird Pantry is something that every university should do. The cost of living is insane right now and students are under a huge amount of pressure as it is, so every bit of help counts.”

“A lot of students visiting the pantry express that they are very grateful for the service due to the financial pressures,” UTSSA President Anna Thieben told City Hub.

“This is especially seen for international students who are heavily exploited by universities and the Australian government and are often unable to see the support services available to domestic students.”

Thieben stated that she can attest to the student-run food service being immediately popular with students. “We get around 100 students through daily, with many lining up for up to half an hour to collect their five items.”

Students at the University of Technology Sydney have returned “incredibly positive feedback”. The students that have visited the pantry shared their gratitude through positive messages such as: “You guys are amazing! The cafe looks great, there’s a range of healthy food and friendly staff – this is the place to be!” and, “This is the best thing to ever happen at UTS!”

“I really hope this spreads to other universities. We were inspired by similar programs such as the Australian National University Food Co-op and the pantry at the University of Newcastle.” UTSSA President Anna Thieben said.

“The pantry has been operating properly for the last month. We are hoping to continue to run indefinitely and are excited to see how we can expand this service to best help the students of UTS. Our other food welfare service; BlueBird Breakfast, has been operating for 10 years and we are excited to follow the success of that initiative.”

University of New South Wales also currently operates a food pantry called the Food Hub. Students are required to register ahead of the timeslots in order to use the facility. University of Sydney previously had a similar initiative but it was only for international students and only operated for one month in 2021.