{"id":735141,"date":"2026-06-14T02:09:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T02:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/735141\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T02:09:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T02:09:21","slug":"university-of-tasmania-students-open-social-enterprise-cafe-to-help-those-going-hungry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/735141\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Tasmania students open social enterprise cafe to help those going hungry"},"content":{"rendered":"

It might look like a regular cafe, but a new student-run business in Hobart’s CBD has a different goal than turning a profit \u2014 a chance to feed struggling peers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Grounded cafe is the Tasmanian University Student Association’s (TUSA) latest social enterprise venture, where profits are returned to the association for its broader food insecurity programs for students.<\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

The food hub is popular. (ABC News: Jasmine Snow)<\/p>\n

TUSA operates five food hubs across University of Tasmania campuses that provide free ticketed items such as fresh produce, bread and frozen meals to students in need.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For an additional cost, pantry items such as rice or canned goods can be added on.<\/p>\n

\"Yogurt<\/p>\n

The cafe is designed for students but is open to the wider community. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n

Cafe made by students, for students<\/p>\n

For some, the cafe has created a new third space<\/a> in the city that is welcoming and student-friendly.<\/p>\n

“It’s been missing in recent years, a soul and a gathering place for students to come,” mature-aged UTAS student Mark said.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Mark (right) says the cafe serves as a vital social place. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n

First-year student Sophia said she enjoyed having a space in Hobart’s midtown because it was “so close by to everything” and was “very affordable”.<\/p>\n

Former student Dylan said when he was studying, there weren’t many places like the cafe that were affordable and convenient in the city.<\/p>\n

“There wasn’t really any nice spaces to just sit down and potentially meet other students,” he said.\"A<\/p>\n

The cafe is a social enterprise operated by the Tasmanian University Student Association. (ABC News: Jasmine Snow)<\/p>\n

Along with students being eligible for a 20 per cent discount, the cafe also has a pay-it-forward system for coffees and meals.<\/p>\n

It also employs students who learn hospitality skills while serving affordable meals and drinks to the community.<\/p>\n

\"Food<\/p>\n

The prices at Grounded are kept as low as possible. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n

Third of students face food shortages<\/p>\n

A 2024 survey by the University of Tasmania found 53 per cent of its students faced food insecurity, with one in three skipping multiple meals a week.<\/p>\n

“These are dire times for our university students,” TUSA president Jack Oates Pryor said.<\/p>\n

“If we’re not able to eat as students, then we are not able to engage with study, we’re not able to graduate and contribute to the Tasmanian workforce more broadly.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Jack Oates Pryor says that if students go hungry, it negatively affects their academic outcomes. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n

Mr Oates Pryor said cost-of-living pressures were among factors contributing to students reducing their study load from full time to part time.<\/p>\n

He said students were “working an average of 29 hours per week in addition to their studies”, which was “mammoth”.<\/p>\n

But he said he has seen a decrease in students skipping meals in 2026, with an increase in students accessing the food hubs.<\/p>\n

\"Flour,<\/p>\n

People are urged to be considerate of others when taking items. (ABC News: Jasmine Snow)<\/p>\n

Food hubs keeping students at uni<\/p>\n

TUSA food hubs started in 2023 at the University of Tasmania’s Sandy Bay Campus.<\/p>\n

Since then, the association has opened four hubs across the state and one at its New South Wales campus in Sydney.<\/p>\n

They are funded by grants and stocked by donations from food banks and charities.<\/p>\n

The association does not intend to rely on grant funding to keep the services available, so the cafe is a part of sustainable funding.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Jhumu volunteers at the food hub. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n

Volunteer and student Jhumu said the service was essential, as it could be “difficult to survive” as an international student.<\/p>\n

“It has variety, it has free items and very cheap payment for the pantry items. So, it’s very convenient,” she said.\"Student<\/p>\n

Students get a discount. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n

Catherine also accessed the service and said, “it’s a great way to make sure that I have a stock up of food at home”.<\/p>\n

“It’s helpful and it’s lovely to feel like you’re well cared for,” shared student Jj, after going into Hobart’s weekly food hub.<\/p>\n

According to TUSA, in 2025 about one-quarter of UTAS students accessed the food hub.<\/p>\n

“We constantly hear from students [that the] food hubs have kept them enrolled in uni, and they are experiencing less stress because they know that there is a place to go for food every week,” TUSA’s food security project lead Kim White said.<\/p>\n

“Without food hubs, we’d see a lot more students dropping out of uni and needing to work to sustain the cost of living.”\"Woman<\/p>\n

Kim White says uni food hubs help keep students on track. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n

Following the opening of Grounded, the association plans to open a social supermarket within the next year.<\/p>\n

This would provide more free food to students, along with discounted items to people in the broader community.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The cafe acts as a third space, an alternative to home, or the work or school environment. (ABC News: Jasmine Snow)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It might look like a regular cafe, but a new student-run business in Hobart’s CBD has a different…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":735142,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99,2610,177813,12804,355408,355406,158110,355407,73491,73490],"class_list":["post-735141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-cost-of-living","tag-grounded","tag-hobart","tag-jack-oates-pryor","tag-student-cafe","tag-student-union","tag-tusa","tag-university-of-tasmania","tag-utas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=735141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/735142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=735141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=735141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=735141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}