hard lesson for Toronto university students

Students feeding their minds at one of Toronto's universities are relying more and more on the school's food bank to feed their stomachs.

At Ryerson University, where tuition is between $7,000 and $11,000, a referendum is underway asking for a funding increase for the Good Food Centre.

The small food bank in the Ryerson Student Centre on Gould Street is stocked with donated canned food, rice, cereal, as well as milk, eggs, frozen meats and sometimes fresh produce.

"We run out of food a lot," Good Food Centre coordinator Claire Davis said in an interview. "Our services are severely under-funded."

Davis, 21, one of three part-time coordinators at the food bank, says each year more and more students are using the service.

Davis cites rising tuition as well as the soaring cost of rent in downtown Toronto as two major factors behind the increased demand.

Student hunger is a trend causing concern as CBC Toronto's annual holiday campaign to raise money for GTA food banks, Sounds of the Season, draws closer.

According to staff, engineering students use the food bank the most (their tuition is the highest of all programs at more than $11,000).

"They're skipping meals, passing out in the class. Really serious things that people who are 18 to 21 shouldn't have to deal with," she said.

The centre also stocks baby food for students who have children.

Ryerson isn't the only school in the city dealing with student hunger. University of Toronto, York University, George Brown, Humber, and Seneca colleges all have food banks.