25 years of serving Richmond in 2008

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Thanks to the continuing support of our donors through these hard times, we are open and able to serve people in need.

NEW:

• We are closed Wednesday, July 1st for Canada Day. We are open as usual on Tuesday at Daniels Rd and Thursday at our Cedarbridge location. There will be no deliveries this week.
• AGM - June 1, 2009. The make-up of our Board of Directors has changed; also see the new Annual Report.
• Client brochure for social agencies to print off as needed
• We're open Saturdays: The Foodbank is open 10am - 2 pm to receive donations.
• The Foodbank is looking for the following items: clothes drying racks, plastic grocery bags, paper grocery bags, tote bags, and draft quality office paper.
• We are starting a software library for office use. If you have reference books for MS Office 2003, XP, Photoshop, Dreamweaver that you no longer use please consider donating them.

Richmond Food Bank Mission Statement:

To provide food assistance, advocacy, and related support for those in our community in need.

 

The Richmond Food Bank Society strives to maintain individual and community health by providing the food security and nourishment needed to sustain health and well-being.

Volunteers distribute healthy food and groceries for free in a safe and confidential place to anyone who lives in Richmond and needs a little help.

"Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life." This is the definition that Canada and 128 other countries agreed upon at the 1996 World Food Summit in Rome. All signatories agreed to halve hunger by 2015.

The Richmond Food Bank belongs to and is accredited by Food Banks Canada and subscribes to its Code of Ethics.

This site is a place for you to:

• learn more about us
• get information about our distribution program
• increase awareness of the growing needs of the hungry people in our community
• learn how you can volunteer and donate to help end hunger in our community

We hope that you will become a regular visitor to our site.

Richmond Food Bank Facts:

• we serve over 450 households weekly -- over 1200 people; 35% of them children
• 15% are long-term users with multiple barriers to employment
• 55% are temporary users -- people who can work, do; this number reflects unemployment rates
• 30% are potentially self-sufficient and their ongoing concerns are health, employment and affordable housing
• cost of housing and disabilities are the primary reasons for needing food banks
• we distribute over 15,000 pounds of food each week
• we also distribute good quality surplus food that would otherwise be discarded
• in 2008 we distributed 16,800 grocery parcels as well as bulk food to other agencies that serve meals and snacks to low-income people
• We are able to distribute approximately $6 worth of groceries for every dollar we spend
• we have over 120 regular volunteers who provide year-round service
• we are a society and registered charity, governed by a Board of Directors.