Ways you can support the Cortes Food Bank

Donate money

Cortes Island Food Bank Association is a Registered Charity (727502502RR0001)

Tax Deductible donations can be made via our Canada Helps page.

A Virtual Food Drive in partnership with Food Banks BC. also accepts donations with a tax-deductible receipt!

Visit our Virtual Food Drive Page to Donate

E-transfer to: cortesfoodbank@proton.me

This is another easy way of donating to the food bank.

BC Sharing Scan Cards:

Available at the till at all our local stores. Ask the cashier to scan the card to donate $2. 100% of these donations go to Cortes Island Food Bank.

Cheques:

Cheques should be made out to: Cortes Island Food Bank Association, and can also be mailed to:
- PO Box 137, Mansons Landing, BC, V0P 1K0
Contact us if you wish to make a cash donation.

Large or legacy donations:

Donate food

You can drop off food items at the donations boxes found at these stores on Cortes:

The Natural Food Coop, Mansons Landing
Gorge Harbour Store, Whaletown

If it's out of date - please don't donate!

Please note that we cannot accept damaged, opened, or out-of-date foods, home-canning, and items not in original packaging. This is because of possible health risks.

We really appreciate the generous impulse to drop off extra food from your pantries to the food bank. However, it often takes many hours for our volunteers to check all the sell by dates, and see if items are damaged or tainted - and then to dispose of these items safely. You can make a valuable donation by checking these things for us, and disposing of unsuitable items in another way.

Like many other food banks in the region, we prioritize fundraising over food donations. The main reasons for this are:

For every $1 donated, we can distribute $3.50 worth of quality food.
To avoid unhealthy or unsafe food donations that could put our clients at risk.
To accommodate our limited storage space. It is more efficient and effective for us to acquire specific food as we need it.
To leverage our regional partnerships with bulk buying and other food and budget maximizing programs.

If you have larger amounts of food to donate contact us at cortesfoodbank@proton.me

If you are a local farmer or food retailer who would like to provide us with perishable, fresh food, such as veggies or eggs, please let us know!

Volunteer with us

Help us source and deliver food to neighbours in need! Contact us at cortesfoodbank@proton.me to let us know what your strengths and interests are, and how you could see yourself supporting the Food Bank.

We look for help in the following areas:

Storage
Transportation
Distribution
Communication
Events
Fundraising
Board of directors

All of our volunteers will be expected to follow our policies, sign a confidentiality agreement, and receive training.

Partner with us

We are always looking for new ways to collaborate with:

food growers and retailers
non-profits/social enterprises
health initiatives
community organizers

Let us know if you have an idea for how your organization or business can support the Food Bank. We'd love to hear about it.

We are grateful to our Food Bank BC regional partners and to our local partners, including Better at Home, Sunflower Foods, Big Fir Farm, Whaletown Community Club, Southern Cortes Community Association, Lane 8 Delivery, Cortes Community Health Association, Good Libations, Cortes Family Services, Campbell River Food Bank, Quadra Island Food Bank, Strathcona Community Health Network.