Welcome to "The Food Chain," our listing of emergency food providers in the Cowichan Valley. Many of these provide free food and other services for those in need. If you would like your organization/activity listed on this site, or have a suggestion, please contact us.

These listings can also be viewed as printable maps. Choose from the list below to see a map of emergency food providers closest to you.

• Chemainus
• Duncan
• Ladysmith
• Lake Cowichan
• Shawnigan Lake
  

Cowichan Valley Basket Society:
5810 Garden St, Duncan, BC, V9L 3V7
Phone: 250-746-1566 (8:00 AM - 4:00 PM)
Website: Cowichan Basket Society
The Cowichan Valley Basket Society provides hot soup, sandwiches, doughnuts, and coffee, Monday to Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM for anyone who is in need of a hot meal. They distribute food hampers (one per family, per month) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. The Cowichan Valley Basket Society is a non-profit organization, that depends on the support of residents of the Cowichan Valley. Volunteers are welcome, however you must be 18 or older. Food donations are always welcome, as are monetary donations.

CMS Food Bank Society:
2740 Lashburn Rd, Mill Bay, BC, V0R 2P1
Phone: 250-743-5242 Fax: 250-743-5268
Website: Mill Bay food Bank
The 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. The CMS Food Bank gladly accepts donations of non-perishables and produce.

Hiiye'yu Lelum (House of Friendship) Society:
Sun Valley Mall #106-5264 Trans Canada Hwy, Duncan, BC;  Phone: 250-748-2242
Hiiye'yu Lelum (House of Friendship) Society promotes Wellness and Unity by addressing the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal people by providing holistic programs and services. The centre offers:

Weekend Breakfast Club: (6:00am to 8:30am) for individauls in transition.

Healthiest Babies Possible: a free prenatal nutrition program which supports pregnant women of all ages in the Cowichan Valley. The organization believes that each women'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. Through the organization, groups consisting of 6 to 8 people will form and then meet twice a month to cook meals for their families. During the first meeting, groups decide what they will cook and then draft a plan using grocery store flyers to stretch their limited budgets. The group calculates the total cost of their groceries, and decides who will do the shopping. During the second meeting, group members cook their meals together. The meals are healthy, hearty, and cost about two dollars per family member, per meal, as costs are subsidized. Everyone is welcome. Volunteers are asked to assist people with disabilities, as well as perform other duties. Suite 2-5380 Trans Canada Hwy, Duncan, BC, V9L 6W4. Phone:250-748-2242.

 Lake Cowichan Food Bank:
121 Point Ideal Rd, Cowichan Lake, BC  (Cowichan Lake Community Services)
Phone: 250-749-6822 (Cowichan Lake Community Services) or 250-749-4031 (Barb Chojnaski, coordinator - for volunteering)
The Lake Cowichan Food Bank distributes hampers on the second Wednesday of every month to anyone in need within the Lake Cowichan, Honeymoon Bay and Youbou regions. Application forms for hampers can be obtained through Cowichan Lake Community Services, located at 121 Point Ideal Rd. You must register two days in advance. Hampers are distributed between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM at Cowichan Lake Christian Fellowship Church, located at 57 North King George St in Lake Cowichan. Volunteers are always needed and are most welcome.

Salvation Army: 
280 Trans Canada Hwy, 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 on a first come, first serve basis, there is a counter of donated food available to anyone who feels they need it, and bread is available at all times. They also run an emergency food program for people in need and who have already used up their food bank hamper. An appointment must be made, and a meeting held with the Salvation Army to discuss eligibility. Every Christmas the Salvation Army runs a Christmas Hamper program, supplying a hamper of food and toys to low-income families. Registration for hampers takes place in November. The Salvation Army is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

The Sassy Lion Thrift Store:
164 Kenneth St, Duncan, BC, V9L 1N4
Phone: 250-746-4495
Free bread is available to those in need, donated by the Westfalian Bakery.

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 has 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. Please contact the association for more information on these programs.

Cowichan Food Connection:
#2 – 5803 Trans Canada Hwy, Duncan, BC, V9L 4X2
Phone: 250-746-5131
The Cowichan Food Connection collects and re-distributes bread and other food that would otherwise end up in landfills. Items are 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 any schools wanting bread to feed hungry children. They feed approximately 7000 people from Nanaimo to Victoria, and deliver 12 to 15 thousand loaves of bread monthly. Donations are always welcome to help cover the rising cost of operation. Volunteers are also always welcome.

Good Food Box Program:
371 Festubert St, Duncan, BC, V9L 3T1
Phone: 250-746-5521 (Canadian Mental Health Association)
Website: The Good Food Box
The Good Food Box Program's main goal is to promote healthy eating in the Cowichan Valley. The box is $10 and 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 the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), and can be purchased there or at the Margaret Moss Health Centre. Deadline for payment is the 2nd Monday of each month. The boxes are distributed the 3rd Monday of each month through different depots, including Warmland House, Margaret Moss Health Centre, 

The Good Food Box can also purchased at various locations within Cowichan Tribes offices, including: the Education Building, the Health Centre, the Elders Building, Sustainable Housing, Lands, Social Development, La'lum'utul Smun'eem and the Daycare. To order and pay for boxes, which cost $10 each, you can visit or contact any of these locations by the Monday of the week of distribution. Distribution takes place on the Thursday of that same week and typically during the 2nd or 3rd week of each month. For more information about boxes distributed through Cowichan Tribes, please contact 250-746-6184. 

The Good Food Box is a participant-driven program, so volunteers are always in need.

Open Door (VIHA):
447 St. Julian St, Duncan, BC
Phone: 250-748-5588
Website: VIHA 
Open door is run through the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) and is available through referral to clients of Duncan Mental Health and Addictions. They provide a lunch program Monday through Thursday at their office on Julian Street, and lunch on Friday's at Providence Farm.

Cowichan Family Life Association: 
2C-2753 Charlotte Rd, Duncan, BC, V9L 5J2
Phone: 250-748-8281
Website: Cowichan Family Life
The Cowichan Family Life Association (CFLA) has a freezer stocked with bread and buns from the food bank, which is available. They also get donations of cases of food and such, which are distributed to families in connection with CFLA.

Duncan Christian Reformed Church: 
930 Trunk Rd, Duncan, BC, V9L 2S1
Phone: 250-748-2122
Website: Christian Reformed Church
Dinner is provided for those in need on the fourth Saturday of every month at 5:00 PM.

Duncan United Church:
246 Ingram St, Duncan, BC, V9L 1P4
Phone: 250-746-6043
Website: Duncan United Church
Dinner is provided for those in need 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.

Duncan Pentecostal Church: 
931 Trunk Rd, Duncan, BC, V9L 2R9
Phone: 250-748-1432
A dinner for those in need is on the second Saturday of the month at 5:00 PM, September to June.

Community Options Society 
200 Cowichan Way (across from the Superstore), Duncan, BC
Telephone: 250-748-0232, Fax: 250-746-0032
Website: www.coscowichan.ca
Community Options Society supports parents, youth and children, to assist both the individual and the family in making healthy choices and decisions. They offer free counselling, mediation, independent living support, parenting courses and support groups, at no cost to those attending. Bread donated to the organization is also available for those in need. Services are for youth 13 to 19 years of age, their families and young parents to 26 years of age. Office hours are: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Friday.

Cowichan Independent Living Resource Centre
321 Coronation Ave, Duncan, BC, V9L 2T1
Phone: 250-746-3930, Fax: 250-746-3662
Website: Cowichan Valley Independent Living
Cowichan Independent Living (CIL) operates as a registered non-profit charitable society. CIL is operated by persons living with disabilities, for persons with disabilities. CIL offers a broad range of programs and services directed to both their consumers and to the community at large. They strive to provide programs and services to persons with disabilities, as well as education and inclusion support to our community and region. Soup and bread is provided to those in need when available.

Lunch on Clements
5856 Clements St, Duncan, BC
Phone: 250-746-4135, Fax: 250-746-1636
Website: http://www.cvacl.org/loc.html
Lunch on Clements is a pre-vocational training program for adults with developmental disabilities. Trainees receive hands-on support in developing vocational skills, including cashier training, janitorial skills, customer service, and food preparation. They invite the public to join us for lunch Monday through Friday, from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. The menu changes daily, and may include chicken strips and caesar salad, or a homemade soup and sandwich. They offer a variety of delicious baked goods and food trays for your next meeting or social gathering. Lunch on Clements is also available as a day, evening, or weekend rental facility.