ABOUT US
Food Banks BC is grateful and honoured to work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Salish Peoples, including the q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), and Semiahma (Semiahmoo) land-based nations. We are a provincial organization and our work goes beyond the place where we live and impacts the lives of nations across BC and Turtle Island.
Vision, Mission & Goals
Our Vision:
A hunger-free British Columbian
Our Mission:
To lead, inspire, empower and support our members to achieve hunger-free communities for all British Columbians
Our Goals:
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Provide value for members by enabling and supporting our members to learn, share, build capacity and sustainability, and meet the needs of their communities.
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Identify and implement governance and operational best practices to enhance FBBC's longterm value to our members and stakeholders.
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Effectively represent the collective interests of our members to all stakeholders through advocacy while working innovatively and cooperatively to reduce food insecurity in British Columbia.
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Provide leadership by supporting and promoting food security initiatives and agencies beyond our membership, where possible.
Food Bank Facts
More than 50% of BC’s food banks are in rural areas (less than 10K population)
More than 50% of BC’s food banks are run completely by volunteers
More than 80,000 individuals are assisted by our food banks every month in BC
10,000 seniors each month access a food bank
Each month, BC food banks provide an additional 496,000 meals through shelters, soup kitchens & school lunches
Many food banks go above and beyond the original mandate of basic food support. 75% offer ‘food focused’ programs. 45% offer ‘skill building’ programs. All this in addition to providing emergency help, while they seek long term solutions to hunger and food insecurity such as:
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Recovery of surplus perishable foods
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Community gardens
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Home canning and preserving classes
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Community kitchens
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Nutritional education, cooking, baking classes
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Farm Gleaning Projects
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Supplying and Supporting School Lunch, Snack and After School programs
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Providing Food for Emergency Centres
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Meeting the Special Needs – seniors, babies, children, pregnant or nursing women
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Drop in Meals
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Farmer’s Markets
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Working Together with Local Farmers
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Reclamation of surplus food
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Holistic Care –free dental care, shelters, temporary housing, showers, clothing, laundry
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Nutritional Classes
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Delivery & mobile food banks
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Networking to services
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Budgeting help
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Employment search support
Food Banks BC is the provincial association of food banks. Our membership comprises of 103 hunger relief agencies throughout British Columbia.
We support our members through the provision of resources that assist their efforts to tackle hunger in communities they represent. This is achieved through the distribution of food and financial donations, providing access to training and capacity building programs, networking opportunities, and as a representative voice to speak to the needs of food banks as well as the hundreds of thousands of British Columbians who face ongoing food insecurity.
Our vision is a hunger-free future for British Columbians.
Food Banks BC is a member of Food Banks Canada.