Thank you folks for all the generous and kind donations over the past year.
We’ve had a lot of questions recently about what to donate.

What not to donate
First of all - we really appreciate the generous impulse to drop off extra food from your pantries at the food bank boxes at local stores. However, a reminder that we cannot accept damaged, opened, or out-of-date foods, home-canning, and items not in original packaging. This is because of possible health risks.

Recently we had to trash 80% of food donated at a store (several boxes) because it didn’t meet these criteria. It takes time for our volunteers to check all the sell by dates, and see if items are damaged or tainted, and then dispose of these items safely. You can make a valuable donation by checking these things for us, and disposing of those items in another way if they are not suitable for the food bank clients.

So what to donate?
Almost any food that is within date, undamaged, and in sound packaging. Focus on items that could make the core of a healthy meal.

But the very best way to donate…
The very best way to donate to the food bank, however, is with a financial contribution - no matter how small. For every $1 donated, we can distribute $3.50 worth of quality food.
Consider donating to our Virtual Food Drive this year.
https://bcvfd.foodbank.bc.ca/team/cortesisland

Once again - thank you to the Cortes community for all your support.

The Food Bank Team