Who says there's no free lunch?
A number of meal options are available to Concordia students on a tight budget.
In its third year, the Loyola Luncheon gives students a free, healthy lunch on a campus where food opportunities pale in comparison to downtown.
Offered every weekday by the Concordia Student Union (CSU) in the Hive, service begins at 12:30 p.m. The Hive is located in the Student Centre, SC-115 (7141 Sherbrooke St. W.).
On the seventh floor of the Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), the Zest cafeteria offers a deal to those with big appetites: all-you-can-eat lunch for $9.95 and supper for $10.55. With prepared hot entrées, made-to-order pasta and stir-fry dishes, grilled items, salad bar and choice of two soups, any appetite can be sated.
Open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, Zest is also open the same hours on weekends though opens at 11 a.m. for brunch.
For added convenience, Hospitality Concordia convenience cards can eliminate the need for cash to get some grub. Cards are available in H-747.
The People’s Potato is a vegan soup kitchen also run out of the seventh floor of the Hall Building. Initiated in 1999 to address student poverty, a group of dedicated students first started cooking in a church basement and carried the food to the university. Since then, the project has expanded, and over five hundred students and community members are served daily. Service runs on weekdays from 12:30 to 2 p.m. and is by donation.
Le Frigo Vert, at 2130 Mackay St., is a non-profit, organic health food cooperative run by Concordia student associations. It offers some of the lowest prices on health foods and organic produce in town. Open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Every Thursday evening from 5 to 7 p.m., Multi-faith Chaplaincy offers Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, a weekly vegan supper that is served with great company and conversation. A $2 donation is requested. Multi-faith Chaplaincy is at 2090 Mackay St.
For those whose studies are affected by hunger and financial constraints, there is the Student Emergency and Food Fund. Offered by Multi-faith Chaplaincy, student in dire situations can get gift cards for a grocery store chain to address needs some may think unlikely. The cards are purchased with funds donated by the Concordia community.
Looking for cheap eats off-campus? Check out the Montreal Mirror’s Student Survival Guide under Eating.
Related links:
• Loyola Luncheon
• People’s Potato
• Multi-faith Chaplaincy
• Frigo vert
• Montreal Mirror’s Student Survival Guide Site no longer exists