What is food insecurity?
“The inability to acquire or consume an adequate diet quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so.” - Health Canada
Reach out to a referring partner below if you have concerns regarding access to food in the summer months. Whole Bowls remain available for purchase at Mackintosh-Corry Hall (MC2) for $5.25 + tax. These are a warm, complete meal made fresh daily. The AMS Food Bank remains open through the summer. Learn more about other supports on campus and in the community.
Swipe It Forward Queen’s
Swipe It Forward Queen’s (SIFQ) is an initiative to help address food insecurity on campus and provide short-term, immediate support to students in need. Short term can be defined as up to 6 to 8 weeks.
SIFQ collaborates with campus partners to best support those in need holistically. Recognizing that food insecurity is a multifaceted issue impacted by the social determinants of health, our referring partners work together to better understand the disruptions to food access, the cycle of food insecurity, their link to chronic conditions, and the ripple effect that the stress of hunger causes.
The goals of SIFQ are to reduce the stigma around food insecurity on campus and provide dignified resources to those in need.
How SIFQ works
Meal plan holders may be off-campus for a weekend, on holidays, or choose to dine off-campus and may not use their full weekly allotment of meals. SIFQ allows the option to donate one meal per day, up to five per semester, to a student in need by simply asking a cashier to Swipe it Forward.
*Meal donations must be from the plan holder’s current weekly allotment, not past or future week meals.
How can you access the program?
Contact one of the SIFQ program partners listed below for a referral to the program. Within 1-3 business days, SIF dining hall meals are loaded onto your student card for confidential use at dining halls on campus. Dining hall meals are not available to-go, and meals loaded are not available to be redeemed from retail locations.
Individual circumstances determine the meal allocations, with a maximum allotment of 25 meals per term per student. SIF meal plans expire at the end of the academic year. All meals are non-transferable and are only accessible by the student cardholder. Guest vouchers are not included in this program.
To verify meals have been loaded onto your student card:
- Login to the Student Residence Portal & Dining Portal
- Ask a dining hall cashier for your meal plan balance
Food Allergies or Dietary Needs?
If you have food allergies, follow a diet related to religious or cultural observances, or have other dietary needs, book a one-on-one confidential appointment with our Registered Dietitian. You do not need to disclose any affiliation with this program.
Referring Partners
- Student Wellness Services, Mitchell Hall, 1st Floor.
- Faith and Spiritual Life, 613-533-2186 | chaplain@queensu.ca
- Ban Righ Centre, 613-533-2976 | banrighcentre@queensu.ca
- Student Community Relations, 613-533-6745 | scr@queensu.ca
- Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC), 613-533-2604 | quic@queensu.ca
- Student Awards, 613-533-2216 | awards@queensu.ca
- An Clachan Community Coordinator, amy.okesola@queensu.ca
- Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre, 613-533-6970 | 4direct@queensu.ca
- Athletics and Recreation, 613-533-2500 | athlete.services@queensu.ca
- Off-Campus Living Advisor, 613-533-6745 | ocla@queensu.ca
- Yellow House, 343-363-4484, yellowhouse@queensu.ca
Contact swipeitforwardqueens@queensu.ca with any questions about the program.
If you are already on a meal plan, you are not eligible to be referred to the SIFQ program. Please visit our campus partners for additionally support: