About 180 food parcels have been given to struggling university students so far this winter, the Otago University Students' Association says.
OUSA senior student support advocate Hahna Briggs said demand for the parcels always increased during the winter months and in the second semester.
Studying on a budget could be difficult for students, and the association offered a ''no-questions-asked'' service, she said.
''This means that students can simply pop into our office on 5 Ethel Benjamin Pl and ask for a food bag without having to go through a lengthy process of proving they are in hardship.
''There are many situations in which a student may need to use our food bank service - for instance, students who have children or in winter when students get stuck with an unexpectedly high power bill, or perhaps a student who has been unable to work their usual hours due to illness.
''For whatever reason, we encourage students to utilise our food bank and have a chat with us about other ways we can support them.''
Each food package contained non-perishable items such as cans of food, pasta, tinned tomatoes, single rice packets, and instant noodles, as well as a voucher for a fruit and vege stall near the campus.
The limit per student was two food parcels a semester. If students needed more parcels than that, they were encouraged to talk to the association so it could help.
