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We recognize that from time to time there may be inquiries, concerns or complaints and we believe that our stakeholders have the right to tell us about them. To share your feedback please contact the Food Banks BC office by calling or filling out the form above. Alternatively, you can contact the Food Banks Canada Customer Experience Hotline at 1.877.280.0329 Complaints Policy Policy Statement This policy, guiding principles and procedures apply to complaints received by Food Banks BC about all aspects of our operations, including activities, service, staff and volunteers. It also applies to complaints received by Food Banks BC about the activities, service, staff and volunteers of our member Food Banks throughout the province. While Food Banks BC is not a regulatory or supervisory body, it is an expectation of Food Banks BC that the staff and volunteers of both Food Banks BC and Member Food Banks abide by the Food Banks BC Code of Conduct and Commitment to Ethics and will apply those standards in the resolution of complaints. Guiding Princip les All complaints will be dealt with promptly and resolved as quickly as possible. Review of complaints will be fair, impartial and respectful of all parties involved. Complaints will be directed to the person or service provider most able to directly and expeditiously address the conce rn. Complainants will be provided the basis for decisions and outcomes relating to their complaint. Complaints will be used to assist in improving service, policies and procedures. Complaints A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction or concern about the service, action or lack of action by Food Banks BC or a Member Food Bank. Examples may include (but are not limited to); Perceived failure to deliver agreed-upon services, Failure to uphold policies and procedures, Error made by staff member or volunteer, Unfair or discourteous conduct by a staff member or volunteer. Complaints will be received from those individuals who are personally and directly affected by the action and complainants will be expected to identify themselves when bringing forward their complaint. Food Banks BC will not retaliate against individuals who make good-faith complaints. Complaint Receipt A complaint may be received verbally (by phone or in person) or in writing (by mail or email). Any representative of Food Banks BC who receives a complaint should direct the complaint to the Executive Director who will determine the most appropriate person (which may be a Food Banks BC staff or board member, or someone external to the orga nization) to handle the complaint and redirect it to that person, letting both the recipient and the complainant know about this action undertaken. The person to whom the complaint has been directed for resolution is most fre quently the one with the specific knowledge and capacity to address the issue. It is the responsibility of the person in the food banking organization who is receiving the complaints for action to either resolve it or undertake to find a resolution from a source most able to address it. Resolution Complaints received should be acknowledged within 2 business days and if possible, staff should undertake to begin resolution within that same timeframe. Every effort should be made to resolve complaints in a timely fashion. For complaints regarding a member organization, Food Banks BC will request that the member organization provides details to Food Banks BC about how and when the complaint will be resolved. Documentation Food Banks BC will keep and maintain a complaint tracking system. At Food Banks BC basic information must be recorded immediately as the complaint is received in order to help with accuracy, accountability and understandin g of the complaint. Information recorded will include; The name of the complainant and their contact information, A brief description of complaint and source of concern, The name of the receiver of the complaint, any referrals for resolution, Outcome if determined, and Time frame. An annual summary of complaints will be presented to the Board of Directors of Food Banks BC, which will include the number, type, and disposition of the complaints received over the previous 12 months, in sufficient detail for board members to understand the overall nature and impact of complaints received.

A list of our most requested donation items. Your donations make a difference! TOP 10 MOST REQUESTED FOOD ITEMS Canned vegetables Canned fruit Canned beans (chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans) Canned tuna Peanut butter Pasta and pasta sauce Rice, oats, barley Hearty soup, stew, chili Small snack items (granola bars, fruit cups, applesauce) Toiletries (feminine hygiene products, baby diapers) Where can I donate food? If you would like to connect with your community food bank to make a donation, or find out their specific needs, please go to the Find a Food Bank page to locate the food bank in your area.

Food Banks BC is pleased to recognize the amazing efforts of our partners who have stepped up to help us end hunger in British Columbia.   Our Partners We would not be able to do this work without the generous support of the many donor partners who have provided food, funds and other support as we collectively tackle hunger and food insecurity in BC. Food Banks BC is pleased to recognize the amazing efforts of our partners who have stepped up to help us end hunger in British Columbia. Partners Food + Freight Partners Campaign Partners

Contact Us Tel: 604-498-1798 Toll free: 1-855-498-1798 Fax: 604-498-1795 info@foodbanksbc.com Suite 302 – 12761 16th Avenue Surrey, BC V4A 1N2 Monday to Thursday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm (operating hours may vary) For media inquiries, please click here Full Name Email Write a message Submit Thank you for your message. Do you have a concern or complaint? We recognize that from time to time there may be inquiries, concerns or complaints and we believe that our stakeholders have the right to tell us about them. To share your feedback please contact the Food Banks BC office by calling or filling out the form above. Alternatively, you can contact the Food Banks C anada Customer Experience Hotline at 1.877.280.0329 or EMAIL Click here to read the Food Banks BC Complaints Policy.

Food Banks BC is grateful to the Provincial Government and donors for their support in helping Food Banks BC conduct important work to alleviate hunger, particularly among people and communities that are disproportionately impacted by poverty and hunger. < Back The Resilient North Project Since March 2022, Food Banks BC has partnered with the Public Health Association of BC on research and grants to support sustainable food systems and equitable food access in Northern BC. In 2024, Food Banks BC administered the Rapid Stimulus Grant for Food Systems Transformation (RSG), a one-time grant for non-profits in Northern BC to advance transformation in the food system. Thirty-six innovative projects across Northern BC received $794,546 in funding in June 2024. The projects through this grant will be inspiring and transformational for local and regional food systems resilience, equity, and capacity-building. Previous Next

Food Banks BC is grateful to the Provincial Government and donors for their support in helping Food Banks BC conduct important work to alleviate hunger, particularly among people and communities that are disproportionately impacted by poverty and hunger. < Back Emergency Food Support Food banks play a crucial role during times of emergency and natural disaster . This happens through the provision of food, water and other urgently needed supplies to evacuees, people impacted within the community, aid services and non-profits, and frontline emergency service personnel. For many years, Food Banks BC has played an active role in supporting communities impacted by major weather events. In 2024/25 we provided $1,212,792 to assist with the purchase of food and equipment that assisted with response and recovery efforts. This included the provision of 416,925 pounds to support communities still impacted by the fire that destroyed the village of Lytton in July 2021. Previous Next

Food Banks BC is grateful to the Provincial Government and donors for their support in helping Food Banks BC conduct important work to alleviate hunger, particularly among people and communities that are disproportionately impacted by poverty and hunger. < Back School Meals Program Since 2023, Food Banks BC has prioritized programming that supports greater access to healthy food in BC's schools. These pilot programs have been delivered in partnership with BC Agriculture in the Classroom (BCAITC) and the Flourish School Food Society. Since 2023, FBBC has invested $1,738,048 in school food, with $621,345 contributed in 2024/25. These funds have had a tremendous impact. BCAITC: With support from BCAITC, the program has provided 2.4 million healthy produce or dairy snacks, reaching 19,200 children, across 42 schools within six districts in BC , to date. The expansion of this pilot has the potential to reach 75+ schools and 25,000+ more students—expanding healthy, local food access and economic opportunity across BC Flourish School Food Society: Partnering with Flourish, the funds have expanded the school meals program to 1,100 servings daily to 22 schools in Victoria and Sooke, resulting in an additional 50,000 meals schools since the partnership began. Additionally, the support from Food Banks BC has enabled the launch of Flourish’s grocery program, resulting in 104,000 snack servings through various meal programs, as well as weekly grocery distributions to 30 schools . This program has the potential to sustainably provide at least 210,000 meals and 500,000 diverse and nutritious snack servings to schools each academic year. Previous Next

Food Banks BC is grateful to the Provincial Government and donors for their support in helping Food Banks BC conduct important work to alleviate hunger, particularly among people and communities that are disproportionately impacted by poverty and hunger. < Back Agency Relief Fund In partnership with the Province of British Columbia’s Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Food Banks BC administers funding support to agencies providing hunger relief services in BC communities. The Agency Relief Fund (ARF) assists with hunger relief operations and provided $2,347,619 to agencies in 2024/25. This is the equivalent of almost 5 million meals to support British Columbians in need. The ARF was distributed to 110 member agencies and 24 non-member agencies throughout the province. Previous Next

The guide is a resource for food bank operators seeking to make their food bank environments more accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIIA+ people, community members who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, and other equity-deserving groups. Accessibility and Equity Guide The guide is a resource for food bank operators seeking to make their food bank environments more accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIIA+ people, community members who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, and other equity-deserving groups. To reflect the current best practices and standards , the guide was compiled through an international literature review and interviews with BC food banks. In addition, it is accessible to PDF/UA standards, ensuring accessibility to the broadest audience possible. Download the Guide

Meet our staff and board who help food banks all over BC. Staff Dan Huang-Taylor Executive Director EMAIL Christine Ryan Director of Operations EMAIL Sherri Binks Manager, Food Programs EMAIL Nick Johnson Manager, Member Services EMAIL Marina Heidt Financial Clerk EMAIL Katie Orr Provincial Manager, National Standards EMAIL Natalia Ribeiro Administrative Coordinator EMAIL Shanille Samra Financial Controller EMAIL Board of Directors Food Banks BC is governed by a volunteer board of directors, elected by the membership annually. The board is comprised of community representatives and representatives from our food bank network: Hajira Hussain, Chairperson Alison Colwell Lindsay Miles-Pickup Mike Cooke Sydney Goodfellow (she/her) Treska Watson, Vice Chairperson Elaine Laberge Lucille Gnanasihamany Mike Olson Cathy Chaplow, Treasurer Kim Roberts Mavis A. Erickson Scott Nicoll, Past Chair

This website was designed to conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. The website was last updated on October 5th, 2023. Food Banks BC Accessibility Policy At Food Banks BC, we strive to provide support and resources in a way that respects the dignity and independence of all our community members. We commit to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our supports and resources and allowing them to benefit from the same services in the same place and in a similar way as other users. At Food Banks BC, a person with a disability supported by a service dog, a guide, or a support individual will be allowed to have that support resource accompany them while accessing our services. These support persons and service dogs are granted the same access as the person they are accompanying. Under no circumstances will a person with a disability and their support resource be prevented from accessing our services and resources. When a barrier to accessing our support and resources arises, Food Banks BC takes a proactive stance. We actively seek alternative ways to ensure access, encouraging individuals to communicate their specific needs. If there's uncertainty about accessing our services and resources, please reach out to us at info@foodbanksbc.com or 604-498-1798. At Food Banks BC, we celebrate differences and honour individuals’ experiences. We are committed to providing regular education and resources on accessibility and equity, ensuring that our staff and community members are always informed and equipped to promote inclusivity. We also strive to use inclusive language in our verbal and written communication. We encourage our member food banks to: 1. Provide spaces where people are treated with dignity. 2. Celebrate differences. 3. Center accessibility needs of their employees, volunteers, and clients. Accessibility is the work we do to ensure people with disabilities can access our services equally with others. It includes ways to remove barriers to access, including physical barriers, attitudes, communication, systemic, technology, and sensory considerations. Below are some examples of accessibility practices that Food Banks BC encourages our members to implement whenever possible (bearing in mind the limitations some organizations face, such as space and landlord restrictions). Physical Accessibility Practices • Ensuring an area where a HandyDart vehicle or accessible taxi can safely drop someone off. • Ensure the entryway to the food bank is accessible to wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers. • Ensuring there is an automatic door at the entrance and washroom. • Ensuring there is designated accessible parking available. • Ensuring a rest area is available for folks with health conditions that limit their ability to stand for extended periods. • Ensuring there is an area to wait in, protected from weather and the elements. • Ensuring washrooms have grab bars. Attitude Accessibility Practices • Greeting clients as they enter the space. • Collecting client feedback. Communication Accessibility Practices • Use signage or other materials that explain how the food bank runs and what to expect. • Offering options for non-verbal communication. • Communicating changes to stakeholders. • Providing signage or information in languages other than English. Systemic Accessibility Practices • Ensuring service hours are sufficient to reduce wait times and crowding. • Communicating to stakeholders how they can request accommodation for their disability (i.e. home delivery). • Communicating the complaint process and how to report an accessibility issue. • Ensuring employees and volunteers understand and agree with The Ethical Foodbanking Code. • Ensuring food bank operators are trained in de-escalation or other methods for holding safe space. • Providing choice to clients whenever possible. • Providing cooking suggestions for items that may be unfamiliar to clients. Technology Accessibility Practices • Ensuring websites are accessible to screen readers • Ensuring website graphs and charts have text to explain them Sensory Accessibility Practices • Accommodating food restrictions • Ensuring sufficient lighting allows someone with low vision to navigate the space. • Avoiding floors and wall colour contrasting with busy patterns. This website was designed to conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. The website was last updated on October 5th, 2023. If you encounter accessibility issues, we welcome your report. You can send the information to info@foodbanksbc.com .

We believe in taking a fresh approach to the way food is distributed in our communities, resulting in innovative programs and solutions that have made BC Canada’s leader in food security.   Become a Member Food Banks BC comprises of over 100 member hunger relief agencies. Our members can be found in all corners of the province and in communities from Valemount to Vancouver or Sparwood to Surrey. As we see an increasing need for the services of food banks, Food Bank BC serves to support those who are undertaking this important work. Click below to learn more about membership. Learn More