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Fighting Food Insecurity at the University of the Free State

10 March 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Unsplash

Food security — The No Student Hungry team gearing up to start distributing food parcels to the selected students.

The UFS is one of the many institutions of higher learning where food insecurity is an active issue. However, the No Student Hungry Programme is one of the initiatives launched at the university to assist in fighting food insecurity at the institution.

The purpose of the programme

Since its inception in 2011, the initiative has assisted many students in acquiring a healthy meal. Additionally, the Food Environment Office also hands out food packages, so that students can continue to achieve academically. “We are trying to develop a healthy environment for students and make it easier for them to have a nice and healthy meal,” stated Annelize Visagie, who heads the Food Environment Office at the UFS. The Food Environment programme is spread out on all three campuses, each with its own facilitators. Furthermore, the programme mainly caters for students who are not funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) but who are excelling academically. The abovementioned students apply for assistance online, and a list is then drawn up of students who receive assistance for the year.

Alternative solutions to keep the initiative running

On the Bloemfontein Campus, the No Student Hungry Programme will be catering for 200 students in the 2022 academic year, assisting them with a daily nutritious meal. Additional food parcels are also handed out to provide further assistance. “We give food parcels to the students on the list every Tuesday and Thursday at the Thakaneng Bridge,” Visagie highlighted. However, she argues that catering for the student population through this programme can be a challenge, as the demand for assistance is growing rapidly and the ability to assist is limited. The programme relies on partnerships and sponsors to assist the student body. In fact, the coordinators of the programme currently have a memorandum of understanding with Tiger Brands according to which they deliver around 100 food parcels for distribution.

In addition, the coordinators have put in place alternative measures to ensure that they can provide more food to students. “The Kovsie Act Office, in partnership with the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, has started a food garden where healthy and nutritious produce are grown, in order to add value to the distribution,” she indicated. Although the programme can only assist to a point, students who are in desperate need of assistance are never turned away. In fact, the Social Support Unit at Thakaneng Bridge usually assists students with food vouchers for a maximum of four days.

A commitment to teaching healthy eating habits

The programme is not only committed to curbing food insecurity, but also to ensuring that students have a healthy and balanced diet. As such, a booklet is being issued by the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in collaboration with the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, which contains ways in which students can make a healthy meal using some of the ingredients offered in the food parcels.

“We want to teach students how to eat healthy in the cheapest way, because they don’t have a lot of money to buy expensive food products,” Visagie argued.

News Archive

UFS/PUK Intervarsity - Results

2009-08-04

KOVSIES / PUKKE INTERVARSITY 2009: UITSLAE / RESULTS

	SPORT	SPANNE TEAMS		UITSLAE / RESULTS
				PUKKE	KOVSIES
1	GHOLF / GOLF	MANS / MEN		4.5	1.5

	KARATE	MANS / MEN		*	*
		DAMES / LADIES		*	*
2	BASKETBAL / BASKETBALL	PUK	UFS	40	72
3	PLUIMBAL/ BADMINTON	PUK 1	KOVSIES 1	5	0
4		PUK 2	KOVSIES 2	5	0
5	VLUGBAL / VOLLEYBALL	PUK	KOVSIES	1	3
6	MUURBAL / SQUASH	PUK	UFS	2	4
	LANDLOOP / CROSS COUNTRY	UV Mans / UFS Men	PUK Mans	*	*
		UV Vroue / UFS Women	PUK Vroue	*	*
	BASKETBAL / BASKETBALL	UV Mans / UFS Men	PUK Mans	*	*
7	SOKKER FOOTBALL	UFS 1 MEN	ALS PUK MEN	1	1
8	SOCCER			*	*
9				*	*
10	TENNIS	UV MANS / UFS MEN	PUK MANS	*	*
12	HOKKIE HOCKEY	PUK 1 (V)	KOVSIES (V)	3	0
13	HOCKEY	PUK 2 (V)	REDS (V)	4	1
14		PUK 1 (M)	KOVSIES 1 (M)	3	1
15		PUK 2 (M)	REDS (M)	1	3
16		VMN	SOETDORING	1	0
17		WANDA	VMN	*	*
18		REPUBLIEK	WNB	*	*
19		OOSTERHOF	HOBHOUSE	*	*
20		EXCELSIOR	VERITAS	0	1
21		PATRIA	TKV	*	*
22	NETBAL NETBALL	PUK 1	KOVSIES 1	34	43
23	NETBALL	PUK O/21	KOVSIES 3	24	31
24		PUK O/19 A	KOVSIES 4	39	34
		PUK 2	KOVSIES 2	33	45
		PUK O/19 B	HOBHOUSE	35	12
		EIKENHOF	SONNEDOU	21	18
		KASTEEL	ROOSMARYN 2	20	9
		DINKI	MARJOLEIN	21	11
		OOSTERHOF	ROOSMARYN 1	21	8
25		WANDA	SOETDORING 1	26	3
26		KARLIEN	SOETDORING 2	31	7
27		KLAWERHOF	VMN	17	14
28		BELLATRIX	WNB	19	16
29		MINJONETTE	WNB	27	6
30	RUGBY	PUK 1	SHIMLAS	20	6
31		IBBIES	IRAWAS	21	6
32		PUK O/21	UV O/21	20	9
33		PUK O/19	UV O/19	12	8
34		PATRIA	ARMENTUM	22	12
35		VILLAGERS	KAREE	9	8
36		DE WILGERS	VERITAS	27	7
37		HEIMAT	VISHUIS	5	17
38		OVERS	JBM	18	21
39		VERITAS	HEIMAT	11	15
	INTERVARSITY OPSOMMING / SUMMARY 2009
				PUKKE	KOVSIES
	WEDSTRYDE / GAMES			37	37
	GEWEN / WON			25	11
	VERLOOR / LOST			11	25
	GELYK / DRAWN			1	1

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