Food Security Fund
One million British Columbians - including children - don’t have enough food to eat. You can help change that.
Donate todayUNITED for fuller plates and hearts.
Food insecurity is the inability to consistently access and afford nutritionally adequate food.
In 2023, 21.8% of British Columbians lived in food-insecure households — over 1 million people, including children, struggling to afford the food they need.
United Way BC’s Regional Food Hubs are an innovative, local response to food insecurity and provide a low-barrier place where people can access food and a range of essential social services, all in one spot. Families and individuals attending a food hub have access to:
- Food literacy: Cooking classes and workshops to help families make the most of what they have.
- Mental health support: Because hunger and stress often go hand in hand.
- Employment services: Helping people gain the skills they need to find work.
- Childcare and more: Supporting families in every way possible.
Last year, your donations helped provide over 3 million nutritious meals and hampers to more than 450,000 neighbours in need.
UNITED for fuller plates and hearts.
Support individuals and families who need help to put food on the table.
In urban areas, the challenge is often affording the nutritious and culturally appropriate food people need to survive. In more rural areas, access also becomes an issue, with the lack of availability and variety of fresh, local food.
The effects trickle down into all aspects of life, including:
- Health: directly linked to diet and individuals facing food insecurity are more susceptible to chronic illness.
- Education: students experiencing hunger may struggle to concentrate and perform well academically.
- Employment: suffers when workers are hungry, leading to lower productivity and an ongoing cycle of poverty.
United Way BC currently operates 20 Regional Community Food Hubs across the province, providing dignified food access to over 81,500 people each year. Ensuring our neighbours have access to nourishing, healthy, and culturally appropriate food is vital to the health and well-being of our communities.
Local issues require local solutions. Your donation will provide healthy and nutritious food to the people – in your local community – who need it most.
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$10 provides one meal produced by cooks in our meal program for one individual
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$75 supplies fresh fruit, veggies, and a variety of grains and proteins to feed a family of four for a week
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$300 covers the cost of weekly drivers and food delivery between food hubs
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$500 funds a food literacy workshop for 10 people, including ingredients to take home.
Strengthening a sustainable food security system requires us to work together
Learn how a local approach works in different regions of BC.
LOWER MAINLAND
‘Food deserts’ create barriers to food in Lower Mainland
With a sense of dignity and fairness is how Gwen approaches her job at the United Way BC Surrey Central Regional Community Food Hub.
“I’ve always had a sense of you don’t need a lot, you just need the necessities,” she says. “Food and shelter are two necessities that every human being needs, regardless of who you are.”
Even Surrey, the province’s geographically largest city, has numerous ‘food deserts’ where few grocery stores exist. What food options are available consist of fast-food outlets or convenience stores.
CENTRAL & NORTHERN ISLAND
Kitchen creates community in Campbell River
The Hama’Elas Community Kitchen in Campbell River buzzes with activity as volunteers prepare the evening meal. The dining room fills with diners, conversations, and laughter.
The kitchen is open to anyone, but most often diners are experiencing homelessness or living on a limited income. They represent all ages, genders, and family makeup. Many also live with mental health challenges and addictions. It’s a place where many who feel alone and forgotten can gather to share a meal and be part of the community. For Keith, the community kitchen is “life or death”.
SOUTHERN INTERIOR
Infrastructure grants help strengthen food security
Thanks to a Food Infrastructure Grant from United Way BC, the Lower Similkameen Indian Band is developing a local farm to provide access to traditional food gathering and preservation in the community. The grant will help build a food processing building, which will house the equipment and space for staff, volunteers, and surrounding Indigenous communities to process their food.
Food Infrastructure Grants are designed to strengthen local food security by supporting development and implementation of community-led food projects across the province.
Your gift means fuller plates.
Help provide nutritious, culturally appropriate food to those who need it most.
