Students quickly gobble up bags of healthy food

Bags of fresh produce were purchased quickly on Thursday morning at the Algonquin Students’ Association’s Fresh for $5: Fruit and Veggie Bag Sale.

The Fresh for $5 sale was originally predicted to last from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. However, due to high student interest, they sold their entire stock of 100 bags within the first 40 minutes of the sale.

Algonquin College students and staff were able to purchase discounted bags of assorted fresh produce. The bags were sold to students for $5, and non-students and staff were charged $10.

They each included an assortment of a two-pound bag of onions, a two-pound bag of carrots, an eight-ounce package of whole mushrooms, two lemons, two Empire apples, two oranges, one English cucumber and one avocado.

The event was co-hosted by the Ottawa Good Food Box, a non-profit organization focused on selling affordable, healthy food.

Algonquin College’s food cupboard coordinator, Abby Muir, emphasized the importance of having events to provide fresh produce for students while still selling it at an affordable price.

“It’s just to get some fresh fruits and veggies into people’s diets, and into people’s fridges because everything is so expensive nowadays,” Muir said.

Daniela Leal, a Level 2 architecture technician student, was one of many students who lined up early in anticipation of the sale.

“It’s basically impossible to get so much veg for such a price,” Leal said.

Leal also believes the college should provide affordable, healthy food options for students.

“I used to go to another university, and there were more of these activities more often,” Leal said. “I think if the Students’ Association is capable of doing it, we should be getting more of these.”

Scarlett Washer, a Level 2 child and youth care student, said that the produce sale helped encourage healthy eating for college students.

“It helps college kids not just eat mac and cheese and french fries, and stuff,” Washer said.

For Algonquin College students who live on campus, it is important to have easy access to more nutritious food options.

“I thought it was a great idea because it’s kind of a pain to have to walk over to the grocery store to get fresh food everyday,” Washer said. “So, having it here, especially a whole bag for $5, I think it’s a good idea.”