The McGill Food Coalition is the gathering of individuals and organizations aiming to provide a more affordable and accessible food structure on campus and re-instill social and environmental dimensions into the food system at McGill.
Our Mission
The McGill Food Coalition’s mission is to act as a central point of engagement and collaboration between the diverse array of student-led food projects and the wider campus community in working towards a democratic campus food system that is accessible, sustainable, and diversified.
Our Vision
A solidarity network sustaining student engagement to enable the construction of an affordable and accessible food system for McGill and the community beyond.
Our Values
Community: Actively involving students, faculty, and local organizations in the Coalition’s efforts to foster a strong, interconnected community focused on improving the food system.
Inclusivity: Ensuring all voices are heard and diverse perspectives are valued and integrated into the Coalition’s initiatives and decision-making processes. Also making resources, events, and opportunities accessible to all community members, ensuring everyone can participate and benefit.
Justice: Maintaining open and honest communication about the Coalition’s activities, decision-making processes, and resource allocation
Empowerment: Committing to providing the necessary resources, guidance, and funding to enable individual food groups to thrive and drive change. Focused on raising awareness, educating the community about food issues, and advocating for policies that support food security, sovereignty, and cultural diversity.
Resilience: Building a robust and adaptable food system that can withstand challenges and continue to meet the community’s needs.
Our Four Pillars
The four pillars of the MFC define the activities provided and means of engagement carried out by the Coalition. These pillars were decided together by the food groups. Below is a detailed outline of what they signify:
Support Pre-Existing Food Groups
- Offering resources for financial and administrative assistance: resources on funding options, grant writing, taxes, fee levies, budgeting, insurance, incorporation, etc. This could be through a digital resource bank accessible through the Coalition website and/or through in-person workshops for Food Groups.
- Facilitating and providing funding for regular avenues of communication between groups both digitally and in-person (via bi-annual food summits)
- Providing outreach services to amplify initiatives and events run by McGill Food Groups via the Food Coalition website and social media.
- Facilitating collaborative events with Food Groups on campus – proposing different co-hosted events and helping with booking space, event registration, and providing supplies.
- Offering resources for financial and administrative assistance : resources on funding options, grant writing, taxes, fee levies, budgeting, insurance, incorporation, etc…This could be through digital resources stored on the Food Coalition website or through in-person workshops for Food Groups.
- Creating a resource-bank accessible to all Food Groups using google sites.
Promoting the Creation of New Groups
- Assessing opportunities and needs on campus for growth. This could be especially useful in establishing more student run cafes.
- Most of the items in the previous category would also help here with sections that are geared specifically to new Groups.
Facilitating and Coordinating Actions between Actors in the Campus Food System
- Establishing regular communication with local groups to highlight and encourage potential opportunities for collaboration with McGill Food Groups.
Serving as a Point of Contact and Information for Students
- Mobilizing volunteers and redirecting them to food groups in need
- Sharing the informational resources to new and returning students
Long Term Goals
Our long-term goals as a Coalition are to:
- Maintain and update the institutional history and third-party knowledge surrounding food systems, particularly the food system on campus.
- Empower individuals and groups to eliminate food insecurity and waste on campus.
- Reclaim student cafeterias on campus.
- Co-create an affordable and accessible food system on campus.
The Food Summit
Our semesterly food summit is an opportunity for food groups and students to interact with each other and be updated on the state of affairs with individual food groups, as well as the larger campus food system. Of course, the Coalition has meetings outside of the summit, but the event invites a larger audience to engage in conversation about the bigger picture of the campus food system and how we as stakeholders can alter it with our impact.
The next food summit will be held on:
The date and location of this year’s summit are yet to be decided! Stay tuned for more!
We hope to see you there!
Have questions? Reach out to us on our socials!
Meeting Minutes
In the interest of transparency and encouraging the involvement of our entire community, we publicize all our meeting notes from the inception of our organization in Spring 2024. This also helps individuals who are curious know what the MFC is all about and areas where they might be able to contribute and get involved!
McGill Food Coalition 