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THE UCC STUDENTS’ Union (UCCSU) has run out of food at its food bank just 50 minutes after reopening it.
The need for the food bank comes as students contacted the Students’ Union reporting that they were struggling to afford food after paying rent.
In a tweet, UCCSU said they were “disheartened” to announce the reopening of the food bank but it was needed “due to increased cost of living, and cost of being in higher education as well as many other issues that strain students financially”.
In a tweet tonight, UCCSU President Asha Woodhouse said they had run out of food just 50 minutes after reopening the bank and “have had to turn students away”.
“Heartbreaking to not have enough and to see so many students experiencing food insecurity,” Woodhouse said.
50 minutes in we’ve run out of food and have had to turn students away. Heartbreaking to not have enough and to see so many students experiencing food insecurity. Is this the @UCC and country we are supposed to be proud of? @SimonHarrisTDhttps://t.co/dpGdOrZCnm
Earlier today, UCCSU Welfare Officer Caoimhe Walsh told The Journal that since taking up her position in June numerous students had rung her with concerns about being able to afford food.
“We’re getting a lot of students who were ringing me and telling me that once they paid off their rent, they had no money left for food.”
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There had already been reports that students were seeking help with accessing food this year. “We saw an article online about how students had been going to Cork Penny dinners for food,” Walsh said.
UCCSU first launched the food bank for students back in 2019 in order to provide for students who couldn’t afford the bare necessities and are dealing with food insecurity.
Speaking about the food banks reopening today Walsh said, “it was really sad that we have to do it again… We were hoping that things weren’t as bad.”
The UCC website says that the average cost of living per month in Cork is between €1,240 and €1,880.
Average monthly expenses for students food are estimated to be between €250 to €350.
It also says that students can expect to pay a minimum of €500 per month for private rented accommodation before bills. On-campus accommodation at UCC is estimated to cost €600 to €680 per month.
UCCSU’s announcement of the reopening of the food bank on Monday came as the government launched the National Development Plan.
Two weeks ago, UCCSU, alongside the Union of Students Ireland (USI) slept out at the Dáil in protest of the student accommodation crisis.
Speaking about the student accommodation crisis Walsh said, “it’s getting harder and harder for students to afford [accommodation], which is just absolutely ridiculous. Something needs to be done.”
With reporting by Hayley Halpin
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@Raymond Barry: I love how it always falls back to this type of lazy deflection from the crux of the issue – the rental market. Students aren’t partying 7 days a week, if they were they wouldn’t last past their first year of college. As young adults, they also deserve to be able to socialise at this important stage or their life.
@Pedro: No, he wants them fasting in a cold room before they tackle their intensive studies. They should shave their heads and live like monks, and then teach hedge schools for scraps!
@Raymond Barry: I somehow doubt the partying students are the ones starving.. believe it or not , it is a minority who party non stop wasting their parents money.. the rest actually want an education.
Part of a students learning is being able to manage money. I have no doubt the clever ones are top of the queue for free food and/or have part time jobs related to the sale of food!
@Pedro: don’t blame everyone else for the woes of students, they are not entitled to anything others don’t have including food. It would be much better if you let them know they are only another cog in the wheel of life and shouldn’t expect what others don’t get either. Lots of jobs out there if they are hungry.
@Raymond Barry: I spent my time in university not drinking, smoking, partying or doing drugs. Short of cash, eating koka noodles for a whole week, was not fun.
“Average monthly expenses for students food are estimated to be between €250 to €350.”
That’s roughly 60 to 80 euro a week !
You’d nearly feed a family of 4 on that for a week in Aldi or Lidl.
What are they buying !
@Geraldine O’Riordan:
Rough figures for example
Tesco prices.
Potatoes 2.5 kg..2.49 euro.
6 pork chops..5 euro (3 meals)
Ham joints about 7 euro. (About 3 meals)
Frozen veg packets (2 for 2.50)
Frozen pizzas 3 euro
Own brand staples not too dear.
@Geraldine O’Riordan: tooth paste, soap, and lots more stuff. Bread, cereal, sugar, butter, salt and fruit and vegetables. I do understand the point but there is more to living than 6 pork chops and a few spuds with no gravy
@Geraldine O’Riordan: my weekly shop comes to max 75 a week, that includes all meat, fresh veg, sweets, beer and toiletries. The only extras i need during the week are bread, milk and a few bits I may have forgotten. That’s for a family of 4
@Atlas’ burden: could also go to Lidl or Aldi for the 49 cent specials of fruit and veg, would have a weeks fruit and veg for 3 euro. pasta is 49 cent in tesco, loaf of bread is 69 cent. some mince 2.90, sliced cheese 90 cent. I mean for a tenner you could genuinely have some good nutritious meals as a student. not to sound like a bore but when i was in Uni 4 of us lived in 2 bed apartment on parnel street, had to turn sideways between the 2 single beds to walk, one person bought and cooked dinner for everyone each day. We had the best times.
@Ciaran Tuomey: Why would it be a matter for their parents? Everyone’s personal situation is different and I’m sure the majority are over 18 so you can’t tell them to ask mammy and daddy for help. They’re entitled to help if they need and if it’s available.
@Colleen: if you cannot afford to go to college, get a job, defer your course, then go to college and have enough to pay your rent. Don’t be relying on others to support you.
@Craic_a_tower: unfortunately, that’s not True. Child benefit (I take that’s what you’re referring to?) stops at 18, no matter if the child is in full-time education or not. And in anyway, child benefit is only 140 Euro a month, that’s hardly enough to pay a student’s rent (or what they need for food and other cost of living).
@Derek Moran:
Suspend/ close off tax avoiding etc loopholes will give a much better return to our crucified taxpayers, but then we live in hope, which is about all we have left
@Michael Oats: i had to go down two flights of stairs and I got stuck behind pensioner on a stick. Then I had to Wade through crowds to get to the salt sachets. So the scroungers had ample time to wolf down my breakfast roll with ketchup, double fries and diet coke
Shouldnt be happening but it is so solutions other than food banks on campus are needed. Students need to be proactive about thier own food security too. I’ve worked in foodservice here and in north america….over there students put themselves through school by working a solid kitchen job…free food, an income through school and an essential life skill learned. Here we cant hire a chef for love nor money and any student wanting to work 20 hours a week in a kitchen will be taken seriously…..and well fed. Just saying.
@Ed Dunne: Students aren’t really hired as chefs which is a trained skill so the jobs they get are generally not that well paid and tough and exhausting jobs that have long hours interfering with studies and which don’t often provide free food but ‘discounted’ food or in cases of fast food jobs, unhealthy food. I worked about 20-25 hours a week average, more when I could get it and over the summer, in a non-kitchen but well paid job (€12.50 p/h) while in college taking every shift I could (though the place wasn’t open on Sundays) and still barely scrimped by and while I was able to feed myself it did mean that I couldn’t focus on my studies and money was always a worry. What you are ‘just saying’ is rather ‘just ignoring’ the fact that the cost of living is untenable for many many people and suggesting a band aid approach that ignores wider issues that affect food security. This whole attitude is basically “why don’t students just work harder and smarter” rather than actually recognising and dealing with the actual issues.
They are students. If someone offered me ‘free’ anything when I was a student, I took it. Vague memories of even drinking free pints of fosters which says it all! Unless they made sure only the people who needed it got it, what did they expect?
@Enda Flaherty: I’d be more likely to read the story as they had too much demand from people that needed it and ran out before they could meet those needs. Most people will take something if it’s offered freely in a bar, restaurant or other general place, but most won’t queue up outside a foodbank or soup kitchen if they don’t need it.
My son is a third year college student. His rent for this year is €3k, payable in full by Dec 1st, he is one of 5 in the house.
He works 5 nights a week in a pub and has a weekend job as well, because he doesn’t want us to have to pay his rent or food costs.
We pay full fees because we are marginally above the threshold for SUSI
The charitable “Penny Dinners” in Cork will be grateful I’d say. If you really want to tackle the expenditure of students, a good place to look might be the cost of student accommodation.
UCC are the largest landlord in Cork and I’m sure were in receipt of large grants to provide affordable student accommodation. Is it affordable or not?
@Dave Barrett: really so you think children with ability from less well off backgrounds shouldn’t aspire to being doctors, scientists, teachers etc etc?? I was lucky to live at home during my time in Uni but many can’t. The rents in the last few years are untenable. Most students despite your narrow view are very conscious of the cost to their parents and are slow to ask for extra funds I imagine
Man… They should like change the constitution so that like there is a free education for everyone. And there should be like a right to be provided with free accommodation in a nice house in a nice area. No-one wants to live in a small house in a crappy location, and to have to pay for it is so like not cool. And man, the constitution should like give more and better social welfare. Yeah man. No-one should be poor man. And like we should help the mica people 100% man. And like all the front line dudes and dudesses should get a huge bonus man. A few grand at least. Man, there’s so much to be done to make things better. But no-one should get a job because of financial pressure, man, that would be demeaning and violation of their human rights. It should be a constitutional right to not be poor man. Peace man…!
@Eamonn O’Hanrahan: In a country where we give out degrees like smarties we should remember that eating too many smarties makes us sick. Too many useless degrees and reducing highly educated people to work in retail feeling worthless because they threw 4 years of their life away.
Food banks have to close after 50 minutes.
Right but, how many meals were served? What did they expect to give out?
Hardly sounds like there was a mass stampede for food so this more sounds like they just didn’t plan many meals. The article seems very sensationalist bias.
a part time job maybe 1 – 2 evenings a week (8-10 hours roughly ) or a Sat or Sun would give them 80 to 100 a week … this would solve a small part of their problem. There are lots of bars restaurants and shops looking for extra part time staff coming up to xmas. They have to try to help themselves like the rest of us. We are all struggling with rent, bills, food etc.
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