We understand that making the decision to come to a Food Bank can be a difficult one. You’re not alone. We serve community members of all ages and walks of life. Our staff and volunteers work to create a positive, safe, and welcoming environment for our clients. You can expect to be welcomed, treated with patience, understanding, dignity and respect. ​​​

Anyone on Cortes Island can connect with the Food Bank to receive a food hamper. We usually create food hampers on-demand, but if more people require more regular support, our next step will be to start providing weekly hampers. Our food hampers contain 10 – 14 grocery items, and sometimes more, depending on any extra food we have at the time. The amount of food you’ll receive is based on the number of people in your household. We try to offer food that will be appropriate to a variety of ages, as needed. Pet food is sometimes available. We are committed to making sure that the food we obtain is equitably divided between everyone who needs it. This is why we ask you to register with us, and keep us regularly updated on how much food you require

We try to offer a good variety of non-perishable, and perishable (if possible), healthy food; the amount and type of food does vary, depending on what is in season, what food is being distributed in the region, and what our partner organizations have available for us. We provide a variety of foods spanning all of the food groups, from dairy to meats and proteins, to canned stews, beans and vegetables, pasta and sauces, and a selection of fresh food, if available. A lot of our donations come in the form of money, which allows us to purchase items from local stores, and order in bulk from our suppliers. If you have special needs or allergies, it might be possible for us to accommodate them. Please discuss with a food bank team member.

Our team takes your privacy and safety very seriously. We will never share your name, contact information, or details about your relationship to the food bank without your express consent. We do not tolerate the harassment or bullying of anyone using food bank services, and will advocate for your dignity and wellbeing in any way we can. Unfortunately, with our main location being fairly visible and centrally located, we cannot 100% guarantee that people won’t see you when you come to collect your hamper. We can try to arrange pick-up times that are lower traffic, when other activities in the neighbourhood are at a minimum. We are working on creating more options for pick-up locations and delivery. We are also working on eliminating negative associations that might come with accessing food from the Food Bank. Food is a human right! Read more about our mission, values, and policies, here.

There are several options:

• A friend or trusted neighbour can pick up your food for you, just ask us how to set that up

• You can contact us and we might be able to arrange delivery to your neighbourhood or home through one of our community partners.

Get in touch by telephone at 250-935-0276 or by sending us a message on our contact form.