A Better Loyola
Over the past two years, my frustration with the limited food options at Loyola has been increasing exponentially.
If I was unable to bring lunch to school, I was faced with the daunting decision of purchasing a salty, frozen soup, a heavily processed, prepackaged and sugar-laden muffin from Chartwells, or a flavorless, vegetable-less helping of lentils or pasta from the Loyola Luncheon. Having daydreamed of fresh, home-cooked, sustainable food options in a welcoming, comfortable space, I decided I needed to find an answer to my dilemma.
I heard of Concordia Transitions, the Concordia Food Coalition conference, and decided to venture to the downtown campus with the hope of meeting like-minded people who cared about healthy, sustainable food. That day changed the rest of my student life at Concordia. I met Gabriel Velasco (and many other wonderful new friends), and immediately became involved with the CFC. Along with Gabriel I decided to start meeting at Loyola to assemble a crew that would try to change the current food system.
Gabriel is a passionate, levelheaded, easygoing guy who truly wants to make a substantial, sustainable difference in our Concordia community. Learning how much headway had already been made with the Hive Café, I was impressed to say the least. Loyola is a barren food wasteland, and he and the rest of Community Matters intend to change that. In the short time I’ve come to know the some of the members of this team, my faith in sustainable food options at the university has been renewed. The Hive Café project this team will make happen is just a small piece of the puzzle they intend construct over the next year—with plans for a greenhouse and another café in the Hall building, they have their work cut out for them. I have complete faith that these changes will be made and that the progress this team will incur will bring Concordia back to the community it has strayed from in the past couple of years. Gabriel, and the rest of the team, has a deep understanding of how important community and solidarity are to making these projects realities. I implore you to go out and vote for Gabriel for VP Loyola (and the rest of the Community Matters team). His focus and drive will not wane, changes will be made and Concordia will be one giant step closer to a healthier, richer student body.
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