The Richmond Food Bank is available to help Richmond residents who are experiencing financial difficulties. We work on the honour system, without an income or means test. The food we offer has been donated by the community to help people in need.
Where and when to get food:
Clients can collect a weekly grocery hamper once a week (per household).
ATTENTION:Beginning May 4th, 2023, we will be lowering the age limit for our Seniors Only Distribution from 65+ to 55+. The Seniors Only Distribution will still be on Thursdays from 11:00am-2:00pm. All household members must be 55+ to qualify for this distribution. Roughly 24% of the people we serve are seniors and we recognize how difficult it can be for some of the older clients in our community to stand for long periods of time. We hope that this will help make accessing our services easier.
The Seniors Only Distribution will phase out the reserved seniors time on Mondays and Wednesdays that we piloted last March. This distribution will also phase out the Thursday Evening Distribution that currently operates every Thursday from 5:00pm-7:30pm.
Effective May 4th, 2023, distribution hours at all of our locations are:
New clients: Please Register Online before your first food bank visit using the form below, and bring ID for everyone in your household on your first visit. If you have trouble with the form, you can also register in-person on your first visit. We do not provide bags, so please bring something to transport your food home with you.
When you arrive at the food bank, please line up outside and keep 6 feet physical distance from anyone who is not a member of your household.
Please do not arrive before we open. You will not receive extra food or be served first by arriving first (we will do a random number draw if there is a lineup at opening time), and long lineups at opening time make physical distancing a challenge.
Locations and times:
West Richmond Location: If you cannot make it to our main location, you can pick up your weekly grocery hamper on Monday between 3:30-5pm at Francis Road and No 1 Road at the parking lot near Hugh Boyd Secondary. You can pick up by car (drive through option) or on foot.
Church on 5 Food Hub: Another option is to pick up your weekly grocery hamper on Wednesday between 4:30pm-5:30pm from Church on 5 at 10200 No. 5 Road.
What you need to bring to get food:
ID for everyone in your household who needs food. This can be any government issued ID such as a driver’s license, BCID, passport, Care Card, birth certificate, citizenship card, Canadian permanent resident card, Record of Landing Form, immigration documents (e.g., Work Permit, Study Permit, Visitor Record, Temporary Resident Permit, Refugee Approved Status), or Status Card
Proof that you live in Richmond, such as a recently dated piece of mail, letter from a community or governmental agency, or rental receipt. You must bring your proof of address every time you pick up food. Please call us or talk to a staff member if you can’t show a piece of mail.
Your own grocery bags
If you are picking up food for someone else (such as a friend, neighbour, or anybody else outside of your own household), please bring the ID of the person you are collecting for. The person you are collecting food for must be a registered client of the food bank. Please call us with questions.
What to expect:
Masks are mandatory inside of the food bank.
When you arrive, you may need to wait to be served. Please be respectful of others, do not smoke while in line, wear a mask or face cover (unless you are exempt), and maintain a distance of at least 2 metres (about 6 feet) between yourself and the others in line. Access to the washroom will also be restricted (no public washroom is available).
Groceries will include foods from a variety of categories, including:
protein items, such as canned fish or meats, legumes
pasta/rice/noodles
tinned/canned meals
tinned vegetables/fruits
You will also receive an assortment of fresh produce (fruit and vegetables), dairy (or non-dairy substitutes as available), baked goods, and fresh or frozen meat/protein foods.
If you’re curious about what Best Before and Expiry dates mean, and our policies around them, please read this post or Contact Us.
How we use information we collect:
The Richmond Food Bank respects client information and keeps it private. Only trained individuals who have signed a confidentiality agreement can access our client database, and must keep the information private.
We use client information for specific reasons including:
• To Run and Improve Our Programs: For example, tracking the number of client visits each week.
• To Do Research: We may use client information for research. All information remains anonymous and will only be shared with qualified persons.
• To Connect Clients with Other Programs: At a client’s request only, we may share personal information to check eligibility for other benefits or programs.
• To Report Abuse or Harm: We are required by law to provide information to law enforcement in certain cases, for example, if a client causes harm to a member of our staff/volunteer team or to another client, or damages our property. We may also share client information in case of a threat to the public.
Register online:
To speed up your first visit, register with the online form below. (Or you can register in person on your first visit.) People in the same household should register together on the same form. Please bring ID for each person in your household on your first visit, so that we can verify your ID(s). If there are more than 4 people in your household, please ask us in person to add them to your household record on your first visit (please bring their IDs). Thank you. You can view our complete privacy policy here.
