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Queen’s Student Wellness Services and the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) are teaming up on a new initiative that provides free meals to graduate and professional students and helps them learn skills for preparing healthy and cost-effective meals on their own. The initiative provides 80 Mason Jar Meals each month distributed across four different sites around parts of campus that are convenient for graduate and professional students. Each Mason Jar Meal contains all the ingredients to make three or four portions of a quick, easy, and healthy meal at home.

The program is funded by SGPS and administered by the Health Promotion team in Student Wellness Services, a unit of Queen’s Student Affairs. The Mason Jar Meals are packed by student Peer Health Educator volunteers and distributed by a student staff member whose position is made possible by the SGPS funding.

"Students at Queen's want to help each other, and this program is a great example of that,” says Amir Safikhani, graduate student in the Master of Laws program and Graduate Food Programming Assistant, in which role he distributes the meals across campus and manages other aspects of the initiative. “With the involvement of the SGPS and student volunteers, this is a real student-driven community effort. And it doesn't just give graduate and professional students a meal once a month, it helps them learn how to prepare affordable, nutritious meals at home that can help them stay healthy on a budget."

The meals feature nutritious ingredients like plant-based protein sources, and they draw inspiration from a variety of cultures and types of cooking. Some recipes used so far have been Moroccan rice and spicy lentil and black bean soup.

“The SGPS is committed to supporting students as they face increasing financial pressures, particularly the rising costs of food, housing, and basic necessities,” says Tanya Joseph, Vice President Community for SGPS. “We recognize that food insecurity has a direct impact on student well-being, academic success, and overall quality of life. By offering SGPS-reserved meals, we aim to reduce the stress associated with accessing affordable food and ensure our members have equitable access to these essential resources.”

Over the course of the academic year, the initiative will deliver 500 meals to graduate and professional students. This builds on the approximately 250 free meals that Health Promotion provides to students through existing Mason Jar Meals program, which also offers free meal kits. That program is open to all students through limited registration.

Learn more on the Health Promotion and websites. Students can also find recipes, healthy cooking tips, and more strategies for health and wellness on the , which features student-driven and professionally supported content. Additional food access resources can be found on the Student Affairs website.