FOOD BANK PROGRAM
About the Program:
This program is for EMERGENCY NEED of food only. Please complete the form only if hunger is a pressing issue (to maintain food funds). This is a valuable and essential service to students, from students, and is intended to serve as an online food bank. Please consider modified grocery store hours during this time, and remember to practice safety measures to aid in the battle against COVID-19. Additionally, attempt to visit as infrequently as possible without resorting to hoarding behaviour.
This food bank service is open for SFU Undergraduate students and FIC students ONLY. SFU Graduate Students are not eligible for this program.
To promote the safety of students and staff and to adhere to social distancing guidelines, we have made some changes to how food vouchers will be distributed. Starting April 6, 2020 all food vouchers will be mailed out to your home address. You will not be able to pick them up from SFU Campuses. Please make sure to provide your full information in this form; otherwise we will not be able to process your request.
For the Spring 2020 Semester, you will only need to make ONE request. You will be given a one-time lump sum. You will not be able to make any more requests for the rest of the semester. Please fill out the websurvey here: http://websurvey.sfu.ca/survey/371353491
If you are in need, you can also refer to Embark’s Food Rescue Program at Burnaby campus. Embark collects healthy yet imperfect-looking produce that does not meet the selling criteria of supermarket chains and redistributes it to the university community for free or by donation. Food is collected from Nesters Market and distributed at SFU Burnaby at Embark’s Learning Garden, on the south side of TASC1.
If hunger remains an issue for you, please contact your local food bank in the meantime. You can visit https://foodbank.bc.ca/find-food/locations/ to find a food bank that will be able to assist you.
FREE LEGAL CLINIC
We are proceeding with legal clinic meetings by phone during the regular scheduled times. Please email the Student Centre (studentcentre@sfss.ca) to book an appointment.
OUT ON CAMPUS
- You can stay in touch with SFU’s LGBTQ+ communities on our new Discord server, which can be accessed by any SFU/FIC student at https://discord.gg/yqjTYk
- Many of our events will move to Discord, including LGBTea, The Game Agenda, and Movie Screenings. As well, you’ll be seeing some new events there, including a Breakfast Club and Netflix viewing parties
- Our peer support has moved from Lipsi to Discord, where you can access support from other students as well as OOC staff
- Our newsletters will have an increased focus on good news items, webinars available to support wellbeing, and ways to support and connect with our online community. You can sign up here: http://eepurl.com/gD58Ib
STUDENTCARE

WOMEN’S CENTRE
- View the COVID-19 Women’s Centre resources here.
- Connect with the community (SFU students of all gender) through Discord: https://discord.gg/uyMFHTH
- We will be working with Health and Counselling, as well as SVSPO, for online services to the community. Stay tuned for updates.
- Feel free to contact the Athena, the Women’s Centre coordinator at womenscentre@sfss.ca for the following:
- Research services. Email Athena if you’re looking for specific resources in your area.
- Emotional support/referrals. These are usually conducted by zoom and Skype but phone calls can be arranged as well.
- “Ask a gardener” Q&A for new gardeners.
- Help with job searching, editing your resume and cover letters, and improving your interview skills.
- We are working on setting up multiplayer online games (suggestions are encouraged) and hosting zoom study/chat sessions with students. Reach out to Athena if you’re interested.
U-PASS
Update as of December 2020:
Students’ access to TransLink’s U-Pass BC account currently remains unavailable. If you loaded a U-Pass BC to your account in November, TransLInk has manually loaded a U-Pass BC for December. If a student’s U-Pass BC has not been loaded to their account for December, students are asked to contact Compass Customer Service.
Update as of August 26, 2020:
U-Pass BC Planning for Fall
Since the decision was made to suspend the U-Pass BC program for the 2020 Summer semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Simon Fraser Student Society, Graduate Student Society and SFU have worked with TransLink, and the other public post-secondary institutions and student associations in Metro Vancouver, to reinstate the program with appropriate eligibility adjustments. We are happy to announce that as of September 1, the U-Pass BC program will be resuming.
For students enrolled at SFU in the Fall semester (online or in-person courses) and currently residing in Metro Vancouver:
The program will resume on September 1 with terms and conditions identical to those before the Summer term suspension. Your U-Pass BC will give you unlimited access to bus, SkyTrain and SeaBus transportation at the rate of $42.50 per month, collected as a $170 student fee alongside your Fall term tuition. In order to access your U-Pass BC, you need to acquire a Compass Card and make a request each month using the U-Pass BC website. Pre-existing exemption categories will continue to apply, which you can learn more about here.
For students enrolled at SFU in the Fall semester but not currently residing in Metro Vancouver:
You will be considered ineligible for the program and you will receive a refund of your U-Pass BC fee, credited to your SFU student account. You will need to follow these steps to ensure you get a refund, and it is important that you do not request the U-Pass BC through the website linked above as that month’s pass and fee will be irreversible. Please allow a few weeks for SFU to process the much greater than normal numbers of ineligible students.
If you have any questions or problems setting up your U-Pass BC, please contact the SFU U-Pass BC office at upass@sfu.ca or 778.782.6930.