Cowichan Food Connections, Resources and Programs

Welcome to "The Food Chain," our listing of food security related organizations in the Cowichan Valley. If you would like your organization/activity listed on this site, or have a suggestion, please contact us.

Cowichan Valley Basket Society:
5810 Garden St. Duncan, BC, V9L 3V7
Phone: 1-250-746-1566 (8 AM - 4 PM)
Website: Cowichan Basket Society

The Cowichan Valley Basket Society provides hot soup, sandwiches, doughnuts, and coffee Monday-Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. They serve anyone who is in need of a hot meal. As well, they provide food hampers once a month - Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10:00am - 1:30pm.The Cowichan Valley Basket Society is completely non-profit, and they depend on the support of the people of the Cowichan Valley. Volunteers are most welcome; however, you must be 18 or older. Food donations are always welcome, as are monetary donations.

CMS Food Bank Society:
2740 Lashburn Road Mill Bay, BC, V0R 2P1
Phone: 250-743-5242 Fax: 250-743-5268
Website: Mill Bay food Bank

CMS Food Bank Society provides food hampers for residents of Cobble Hill, Mill Bay, and Shawnigan Lake every Tuesday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Bread is also available every Tuesday. They take donations, of both non-perishables and produce.
 

Healthiest Babies Possible:
.Native Friedship Centre
Phone: 250-748-2242 Ext.#350
Website: Healthiest Babies Possible

A pregnancy outreach program supporting pregnant women of all ages living in the Cowichan Valley. Services are free.

Healthiest Babies Possible supports women to have healthy pregnancies and improved lifestyles, with a focus on nutrition. Our staff believes that each woman’s situation is unique and that she is the expert in her own life.

Cowichan Community Kitchens organizes and runs numerous community kitchens across the Cowichan Valley. Groups of 6-8 people are established, and they meet twice a month to cook meals for their families. The first meeting encompasses the planning of the four meals they will cook. The groups decide what they will cook, then plan out of flyers for the best deals for their limited budgets, teaching organizational and planning skills. They calculate the total cost of their groceries, and decide who will do the shopping. The second time they meet they cook their meals as a group, everyone participating and learning cooking, cleaning, and important life skills. The meals are healthy and hearty, and costs are about two dollars per family member per meal, as costs are subsidized. Everyone is welcome, of all abilities and disabilities. Volunteers are also welcome, to help in kitchens for people with disabilities as well as other duties.  

Lake Cowichan Food Bank:
Box 1310, Lake Cowichan, BC, V0R 2G0
Phone: 250-749-6822 (Cowichan Lake Community Services) or 250-749-4031 (Barb Chojnaski, coordinator- for volunteering)

The Lake Cowichan Food Bank hands out hampers on the second Wednesday of every month to anyone in need within the Lake Cowichan, Honeymoon Bay and Youbou region. They run through Cowichan Lake Community Services, where forms for hampers can be picked up. You must register two days in advance. Hampers are handed out between 1 PM and 2 PM. Volunteers are always needed and are most welcome.

Salvation Army:
280 Trans Canada Highway, Duncan, BC V9L 3P9
Phone: 250-746-7032 or 250-746-8669 for Family Services.
Website: Salvation Army

The Salvation Army runs a number of programs. Every morning at on a first come, first serve basis there is a counter of donated food available to anyone who feels they need it. There is also bread available at all times. They also run an emergency food program for people who are desperate for food and have already used their food bank hamper. An appointment must be made, and a meeting held with the Salvation Army to discuss eligibility. As well, every Christmas the Salvation Army runs a Christmas Hamper program, supplying a hamper of food and toys to low-income families over the holiday season. Families wanting hampers must register in November; there are ads that run in the local paper advertising the details of the program. It is open Monday-Saturday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Ladysmith Resource Centre Association:
721 1st Avenue, Box 1653, Ladysmith, BC V9G 1B2
Telephone: (250) 245-3079, Fax: (250) 245-3798.
Website: Ladysmith Resource Centre

The Ladysmith Resource Centre operates a number of programs, including Adventures in Early Literacy, Born Healthy, Brightlights Tutoring, Early Years Programs and a Food Bank. They also provide services such as Good Food Box, Island Time Head Huggers, Ladysmith Fathers Group, Mother Goose, Nobody's Perfect, Seniors Office, Senior Peer Counselling, Triple P, Victim Services, and Youth at Risk.

Cowichan Food Connection:
#2 – 5803 Trans Canada Highway, Duncan, BC V9L4X2
Phone: 250-746-5131

The Cowichan Food Connection runs a program that picks up bread returned to warehouses in Victoria and Nanaimo that would otherwise end up in landfills. They collect the healthiest bread possible as well as other food as available. The food is then distributed to various service providers in the Cowichan Valley, including food banks, thrift stores, Ministry of Employment & Income Assistance offices (MEIA), child-care centers, and during the school year, to any schools wanting bread to feed hungry children. They feed approximately 7000 people from Nanaimo to Victoria, and deliver 12-15 thousand loaves of bread monthly. Costs for maintenance and operation of the "Bread Van" are high; annual costs can run up to $25-$26,000 or more. Though they have numerous sponsors, donations are always welcome to help cover the rising cost of operation. They always welcome volunteers.

Good Food Box Program:
1843 Tzouhalem Road, Duncan, BC V9L 5L6
Phone: 250-746-4204 (Providence Farm)
Website: The Good Food Box

The Good Food Box Program's main goal is to promote healthy eating in the Cowichan Valley. The box usually contains such staples as potatoes, carrots, onions, apples, oranges, and bananas, with a minimum of ten different produce items. All attempts are made to purchase local food when it is in season. The program is run through Providence Farm, and can be purchased there, or at the Disability Resource Centre, the House of Friendship, Duncan Mental Health, and for Cowichan Tribes members, at the Tribes office. The boxes must be ordered on the first Wednesday of the month, and can be picked up after 2 PM on the second Tuesday at the Providence Farm General Store, or the second Thursday for Cowichan Tribes members. Anyone can purchase a box; they cost $10, and the more people who order; the lower the purchase cost from local suppliers. The Good Food Box is a participant-driven program, so volunteers are always in need.

Duncan United Church:
246 Ingram Street, Duncan, BC  V9L 1P4
Phone: 250-746-6043
Website: Duncan United Church

Dinner for those in need is held on the third Sunday of every month, unless the first Sunday falls on the first day of the month, in which case dinner is on the fourth Sunday, at 5:00 PM.