Food Security Programs
How the NSWC is helping combat food insecurity on the North Shore
What is Food Insecurity?
Food insecurity is experienced by nearly 15% of British Columbians, on mild, moderate, or severe levels. When an individual or family does not know how they will access their next meal, skips meals to save money, or cannot afford to feed themselves or their family, they may be experiencing food insecurity.
Economic pressures, food deserts, food swamps, and the accessibility of healthy groceries and ingredients can influence if someone has food security or not. The North Shore Women's Centre operates two in-house programs to help combat food insecurity and increase the wellbeing of women: our Emergency Food and Toiletries Program, and our Food Redistribution Program.
Our Emergency Food and Toiletry Program currently supports nearly 500 active members, and our Food Redistribution Program serves an average of 110+ women per week.
Searching for other North Shore food programs? Explore our directory.
About the Emergency Food and Toiletries Program
The Emergency Food and Toiletries Program is a free food security program for women, women-led families, and gender-diverse individuals in urgent need of non-perishable groceries and toiletries. We use the term "urgent need" to refer to individuals and families who will imminently not be able to access the food necessary to feed themselves in the next 7 days, as this program is for emergency use.
This program provides up to 12 bags of non-perishable groceries and up to 12 bags of non-perishable toiletries within 32 months of joining the program, whichever comes first. Participants may receive one bag of groceries and one bag of toiletries per month, and are asked to please bring their own bags or boxes to carry the items.
The quantity and variety of items depends on availability. The Emergency Food and Toiletry Program is not a food bank or a store, and gratefully relies entirely on donations from the community; therefore, we will try our best to accommodate food preferences and dietary restrictions, but can only provide items based on our current pantry stock. We apologize for this constraint, and thank you for your patience and understanding!
The program is by application only. Eligible participants will meet the following criteria, and will provide the following documentation:
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Must self-identify as a woman or gender-diverse individual
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Must be a resident of the North Shore (City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, or District of West Vancouver) and must show proof of residency in the form of ID, mail, or other documents with the applicant's full name and address
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Must be low-income, and must show proof of income in the form of pay stubs, a Notice of Assessment, or a bank statement
Applications must be submitted in-person at our Drop-in Resource Centre, and will be reviewed by staff on a rolling basis. Applicants can expect to hear if they are approved for the program during the same visit. No new intakes or bags are given out on Tuesdays.
Applicants may only participate in the program one time (maximum of 12 bags of food and 12 bags of toiletries within 32 months), and may not re-register or re-apply once their participation has concluded. New applicants who apply but do not meet the eligibility criteria may reapply in the future if their circumstances change.
Have questions about the Emergency Food and Toiletry Program?
Want to make a monetary or in-kind donation to support this program?
About the Food Redistribution Program
The Food Redistribution Program is a free surplus food redistribution program operated by the North Shore Women's Centre, in coordination with Immigrant Link Centre Society, FoodMesh, and local grocery stores.
What is surplus food redistribution? Surplus food refers to food that is overstocked, undersold, close to its sell-by date, or cosmetically imperfect and unlikely to sell before becoming food waste. 20% of all food produced in Canada becomes food waste-- that's 11 million tonnes. Surplus food redistribution is a safe and sustainable way to divert food waste by redistributing it to people who can eat it, as intended.
Surplus food recovery is regulated by legislation at every level of the government to ensure safety standards; the food redistributed in the NSWC's Food Redistribution Program is safe and edible, even if it isn't as pretty as other grocery store food! Our staff carefully inspect all donated food to ensure it meets quality and safety standards.
The NSWC's Food Redistribution Program runs on Tuesday mornings from 12pm-2pm at our drop-in resource centre. The food boxes are first-come-first-served, but all boxes are assembled with an equal quantity of food. Whether you come at 12 or at 2, your box will be the same.
Boxes must be collected in-person, and cannot be stored by the NSWC; participants are asked to stay in the area until they have received their box, and not to line up before 12pm. Please bring your own bag or box, if possible.
This program is open for self-identified women and gender-diverse individuals who are residents of the North Shore (City of North Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, or District of West Vancouver), and participants must show proof of residency in the form of ID, mail, or other documents with the applicant's full name and address. Unlike the Emergency Food and Toiletries Program, this program can be accessed an unlimited amount of times, provided participants follow program rules and are respectful to staff and volunteers.
Quantity and variety of food provided varies according to weekly donations; NSWC staff and volunteers do our best to make all boxes alike, but regrettably, we cannot customize boxes according to food preferences, with the exception of dietary restrictions (ex. vegetarian, cannot eat pork, etc.). We appreciate your understanding and patience!
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!
Want to lend a hand on Tuesdays as a volunteer?
