FOOD HUB

Some community organizations offer grocery vouchers or emergency funding as part of their support services to assist individuals in times of need. These resources can help individuals access essential food items or provide financial assistance during difficult circumstances.

In addition to the aforementioned community support, UTAS also provides financial assistance through the Financial Hardship Scheme. If you are facing financial difficulties, you can apply for support by clicking here.

1. Cook for yourself:

If you have cooking facilities available to you, it is almost always cheaper (and often healthier) to cook for yourself. YouTube is a great resource for learning how to cook if you don’t know how to do it, and you can start basic and work your way up when you get better skills and more cooking equipment. You can also join our FREE Let’s Get Nourished sessions to learn how to make easy, affordable and nutritious meals. Learning from others can be really useful and it has the added bonus of building relationships, whether it is talking more to your family as you cook, getting to know a flatmate, or perhaps giving romance an opportunity to bloom!

2. Shop smart:

Before you go shopping, check what you already have in your pantry, fridge and freezer to avoid buying more of something you don’t need. This also allows you to plan meals around what you already have that needs to be used rather than on all-new ingredients. Before shopping, write a list, and then stick to it! To help with this, don’t go grocery shopping while hungry, and shop around the perimeter of the store, only going down the aisles containing the items on your list.

Get to know which fruits and vegetables are in season in Tasmania and base your meals around them because they are often cheaper when they are in season; to help with this, check out Eat Well Tasmania’s In Season guides. And if it doesn’t grow here it might be best to skip that ingredient because the cost of getting it here probably adds to its price. Frozen vegetables are also a viable option; they are just as nutritious as fresh vegetables, and they last longer. This makes them a good option for preventing food waste and therefore saving money. Your local supermarket will often have times where they mark down perishable items like meat and bread. Get to know when that time is, and plan a shop around it. This works particularly well if you have a freezer and can buy things cheaply and save them safely for later in the week.

See something on special? If you use it a lot, then try to get as many as you can afford (whilst still keeping money for your other purchases). If there is something you use frequently, try waiting until it is on special – there is usually a cycle and it won’t take too long for it to get marked down again. Sometimes you can get 10kg bags of rice for half price! Sign up to mailing lists from supermarkets and grocers near you so you know what is on special each week, or shop online to conpare supermarket prices and get the best deals.

3. Create a mini-co-op:

Cooking for one or two people can be an expensive way to do it. Food is often cheaper in larger amounts, and you may find yourself wasting a lot if it is just you or you and one other person. Think about whether there is a group of people in your home, your building, your street or somewhere else like your class, club or church who you might consider bulk buying with. This can mean that you can pool your money to get the good deals, but you aren’t left with huge amounts of something you can’t use. Always make sure you have clear arrangements and communication to minimise conflict though.

Another option is to join a community garden. This allows you free access to fruit and vegetables in return for some of your time. They can also help you create a sense of community.

4. Cook in bulk and freeze:

If you are able to cook and have access to a freezer, it can help to make food in bulk and freeze it. Soups, currys, stews and spaghetti sauces are always great ones to freeze. You can save money and time. You can use clean plastic takeaway containers to freeze in too, so if you do buy takeaway make sure to save them.

5. Bulk out meals:

If you really need to cut down on cost, it makes sense to bulk out your meals with the cheapest ingredients, right? Some good options are rolled oats, rice, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, potatoes, noodles and pasta. If you have vegetables that need to be used up, you can use them to bulk meals out too!

6. Minimize the meat:

We aren’t here to tell you to become vegetarian, but meat is expensive! One way to save money is to cut down on meat in your diet. This might mean eating a few vegetarian meals each day or week, or it might mean slicing up one steak in a veggie stir fry between a few people, rather than having a whole steak and veggies on the side each. Eating a plant based diet can definitely be less expensive if you are buying your fruit and vegetables in season. Legumes and eggs are a cost effective plant protein course, and are cheaper than meat; and they can also be used to bulk out dishes. 150g of cooked legumes is equivalent to 115g of meat, and 2 eggs is equivalent to 1 serving of protein.

7. Grow your own:

Some things are easy to grow and expensive to buy! So it’s an easy choice to give it a go.

Even if you have minimal space, like a kitchen bench or even a windowsill, you can grow bang-for-your-buck items like fresh herbs and leafy greens. Don’t know how? Just jump on Google – there is heaps of information out there. Facebook and Instagram are also excellent places to learn how to grow, join groups, or share your own growing journey!

All items and pantry won’t cost you anything, though registration for collection is essential. We only allow one registration per week to ensure that we can provide this service to a many students as possible. In 2023, TUSA is partnering with Tasmanian food rescue organisation Loaves & Fishes, the Food Bank, local producers, and Gateway Life for bread supply. This partnership allows TUSA to be a food redistributor and helps make food available free of charge. 

Free bread will be displayed outside of the Food Hub between 11am and 2pm on Thursdays or you can collect them at TUSA Hub in Lazenby’s every Wednesday.

If you are in significant need, please reach out to our Student Advocacy Team and they will work with you to find food supports.

Most places, including the TUSA Food Hub, welcome all. Some services may be targeted toward particular groups such as international students. You can find out more by contacting the specific service for details.

Most external places providing immediate food relief do not need to know your name, but some support organisations will need to know who you are so they can help you properly. Some external service providers may require evidence of hardship.

Some external food support organisations may ask for your Student ID. If they do, you can ask if they are recording information or just checking whether you are a student.

At the Food Hub, we do ask that you provide your Student ID, as it is a service for students.

Yes! This list is not comprehensive, as new organisations are putting their hands up to help all the time. Google your area, use the ASK IZZY app, keep an eye on the news and check back here for updates.

If you have the time, consider volunteering for an organisation that provides support to community members who are struggling. If you don’t, keep the organisations that help you in mind for if, in the future, you are able to volunteer or donate.

There are also other valuable ways you can help by reaching out to people for conversations, contact people you know and find out how they are going, or organise to do an activity together on the phone.

Remember if you’re struggling, there are people here to help you. You can always reach out to the TUSA’s advocacy service or the UTAS personal counselling service. Both provide free and confidential advice and support.