Food 4 All Vancouver Island

Loaves & Fishes Food Bank is committed to serving as many people as possible. Currently over 15,000 people in more than 30 communities across Vancouver Island benefit from the food Loaves & Fishes provides, free of charge.

As the Food Banks BC National Hub for Vancouver Island, we source food through local, regional and national partnerships.

*See our Food Recovery page HERE to learn more about how we source food and prevent food waste.*

How does Loaves & Fishes Spread the Food So Far?

    1. Food is given directly to people through our Nanaimo and Port Hardy Food Bank depots. Everyone is welcome regardless of income or where they live.

    2. Food is provided, free of charge, to over 100 other non-profits, schools, food banks and Indigenous Communities across Vancouver Island. 

In 2021...

In total, over 2.4 million pounds of food valued at $6.5 million was distributed to people directly or via the over 100 Indigenous Communities, other non-profits, food banks and schools we serve.

Over 6,668 individuals accessed more than 1,600,000 pounds of food directly from a Loaves & Fishes Food Bank free food market depots in Nanaimo and through our Port Hardy Food Bank. When considering the over 850,000 pounds of additional food we provided, free of charge to other organizations throughout Vancouver Island, that number reaches about 15,000!

- Nanaimo’s free food market depots are open 7 days per week. 

- Our Port Hardy Food Bank is open bi weekly.

People are welcome to come to each market every day that they are open. Loaves & Fishes does not ask for incomes or addresses. 

Watch for our Loaves & Fishes trucks and drivers on the road every day traveling across Vancouver Island making deliveries like…

Bi-weekly deliveries to 5-10 other North Island Indigenous Communities, organizations and schools in Port McNeill. These free of charge food deliveries add up to 8,000 + pounds of food valued at over $20,000 per month!

*During the Port McNeill journey, our driver makes several stops along the way to deliver additional food to other food banks and organizations who in turn supply it to even more rural and hard to reach people.*

Including our Port Hardy Food Bank, it takes an average of 21,000 pounds of food valued at $52,500 transported in a 5 ton refrigerated truck traveling nearly 3,000 km EVERY MONTH just to keep the North Island supplied!

Weekly deliveries to Chemainus Harvest Food Bank & Cowichan Neighbourhood House Soup Kitchen adding up to 2,600 pounds of food valued at $6,500 per month.

Weekly deliveries to the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association adding up to 400 pounds valued at $1,000 per month.

In total Loaves & Fishes drivers and trucks travel over 5,300km each month keeping Vancouver Island supplied with free food.

One Busy Warehouse!

Loaves & Fishes central warehouse in Nanaimo at 210 Fry Street is open 5 days per week from 10am – 2pm for the other non-profits, food banks, schools and Indigenous Communities to register and “shop” for free! We even give them shopping carts and encourage them to come as much as they like and take as much as they can use.

People come from all over Vancouver Island to access our food!

In 2021 over 850,000 pounds of food valued at over $2.2 million was given to other organizations free of charge!

*Please note the monetary valuation of the food is in accordance with Food Banks BC and Food Banks Canada Metrics*