North Shore

Food Providers

There are many food service organizations operating across the North Shore that provide free or low-cost groceries or prepared meals. Below is a list of these providers, their programming, and their hours. This list includes organizations or businesses that offer:

A PDF version of this list is available below

Meals

Serving: meal delivery to your home, open to anyone

Cost: paid, varies from $8 – $10.75 per meal

Type: frozen meals and some fresh salads and sandwiches

Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 8:30 – 3, pickup Monday to Friday 10-4

Location: 8742 Beresford Street in South Burnaby


Contact: 604-299-1877 or www.bettermeals.ca

Better Meals focuses on helping seniors and others to retain their independence and good nutrition in a variety of life circumstances. The menu remains constant, with added seasonal specials from time to time. There is a small subsidy available for those in need. Delivery on the north shore takes place weekly on Thursdays; orders are due no later than 2pm Tuesday. For pickup rather than delivery, please call at least one day ahead.

Serving: Meal program for people in need; frozen meals open to anyone
Cost: Free; paid – price varies
Type: Prepared meals to take away; frozen meals for pick-up or delivery
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday, 9 am-12:30 pm and 1-4 pm
Location: 12th St W, North Vancouver
Contact: website

The North Shore Salvation Army offers a take away meal for those in need, Monday-Friday for pick-up between 9 am-12:30 pm and 1-4 pm. The North Shore Salvation Army also sells frozen, prepared meals for pick-up or delivery available to everyone. Deliveries are on Tuesday and Thursday and a minimum order must be met. Their menus change weekly. Learn more here.

Serving: Everyone
Cost: Free
Type: Sit down dinner
Hours of operation: 5.30 – 6.15 pm, Tuesdays
Location: North Lonsdale United Church, 3380 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver


Serving: Everyone

Cost: Free

Type: Sit down lunch

Hours of operation: 12 – 1 pm, Wednesdays

Location: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 118, 123 West 15th Street, North Vancouver


Serving: Everyone

Cost: Free

Type: Sit down dinner

Hours of operation: 5.30 – 6.15 pm, Thursdays

Location: St Christopher’s Anglican Church, 1068 Inglewood Avenue, West Vancouver 


Serving: Seniors

Cost: A donation of $10 is requested

Type: Prepared meal

Hours of operation:  from 12pm. Doors open at 11.30 am for coffee, 1st and 3rd Fridays

Location: St. Agnes Anglican Church, 530 – 12th Street East, North Vancouver

A reservation is required. Reservations are made by calling 604 987 0432 by noon on the Wednesday prior


Contact: website

Sharing Abundance offers welcoming places where food and community meet. Everyone is welcome whether they choose to donate towards the cost of their meal or not. Sharing Abundance is planning to offer more food services throughout the community soon. Learn more here.

Serving: Everyone welcome
Cost: Free
Type: Meals served inside the Friendship Room (entrance off of St. George)
Hours of operation: Thursday 12-1 pm
Location: 1044 St Georges Ave, North Vancouver
Contact: website

St. Andrew’s hosts a Free Community Meal every Thursday from 12 – 1 pm. Meals served are soup, sandwiches, coffee and tea, and dessert. Guests are also welcome to a loaf of bread from COBS or Lynn Valley Bakery to take home!

Serving: Everyone welcome

Cost: Free

Type: Bagged lunches to take away

Hours of operation: 1:00 -2:00 pm, Saturdays

Location: lane behind North Shore Neighbourhood House (below 2nd St. between St. Georges and St. Andrews), North Vancouver

Contact: highlandsunited.org

Highlands United Church provides bagged lunches every Saturday through Lunches in the Lane. Each week lunch bags are prepared at Highlands Church and then distributed to those in need in the laneway behind NSNH.

Groceries

Serving: Clients of Family Services North Shore
Cost: Free
Type: Grocery assistance; meals for seniors
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday, 10 am-4 pm
Contact: website, [email protected], 604 984 9627 

Family Services North Shore supports a variety of food programming including:

  • Groceries: Grocery assistance and delivery to vulnerable and/or isolated seniors and families. This program is a partnership with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. 
  • Christmas Bureau: This program provides gift baskets and grocery gift cards to families during the holidays. 
  • Hot Meals & Meal Delivery for Seniors: This program provides hot meals and meal delivery to isolated seniors. This program is a partnership with Silver Harbour Seniors’ Activity Centre

To receive food and other support from Family Services North Shore, please reach out to them to discuss your situation and eligibility. 

Serving: Clients of the Harvest Project
Cost: Free
Type: Grocery assistance
Hours of operation: Tuesday-Friday, 10 am-4 pm*
*Note: their office doors are not currently open to drop-in visitors
Contact: website, [email protected], (604) 983-9488

The Harvest Project provides food support provided through the Client Care program. Through their onsite grocery depot, they supply clients and their families with groceries on a monthly basis. The Harvest Project’s approach is to provide each client with the power of choice. 

Serving: Immigrants and refugees in Metro Vancouver
Cost: Free
Type: Groceries
Hours of operation: 
Contact: website

Immigrant Link improves access to healthy food for immigrants and refugees by gathering and distributing useable, unsold food from grocery stores to the community at no cost.

Serving: Clients of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank
Cost: Free
Type: Grocery hampers
Hours of operation: Wednesdays, 9 am-6 pm
Location: 225 East 2nd Street, North Vancouver
Contact: website[email protected], 604-987-8138

The North Vancouver Food Bank is operated by the North Shore Neighbourhood House. Working with a variety of community partners including the Sharing Gardens and FoodMesh, the North Vancouver food Bank is able to offer a variety of fresh, local, and seasonal products. To receive food from the North Vancouver Food Bank you must be a client of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. 

Serving: Clients of the North Shore Salvation Army
Cost: Free
Type: Grocery hampers
Hours of operation: Monday – Friday, 9 am-12:30 pm and 1-4 pm
Location: 
12th St W, North Vancouver
Contact: 604-988-7225

The North Shore Salvation Army distributes fresh food boxes to individuals in the community. To receive a food box, you must first register in person. 

Serving: Clients of the North Shore Salvation Army
Cost: Free
Type: Grocery hampers
Hours of operation: Monday – Friday, 9 am-12:30 pm and 1-4 pm
Location: 
12th St W, North Vancouver
Contact: 604-988-7225

The North Shore Salvation Army distributes fresh food boxes to individuals in the community. To receive a food box, you must first register in person. 

Serving: Quest clients
Cost: Low cost
Type: Grocery shopping
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday: 9 am-5:45 pm, Saturday: 9 am-3:45 pm
Location: 167 1st Street East, North Vancouver (Market Entrance from Lolo Lane)
Contact: website

Quest Food Exchange is a food recovery and redistribution not-for-profit organization that provides dignified access to a variety of affordable and healthy foods to individuals facing food security challenges in British Columbia. 

If you are an individual facing economic barriers, the Quest markets can help provide you with access to healthy and affordable food. Learn more about becoming a Quest client here

Groceries - Apps

Serving: Anyone
Cost: Discounted
Type: Groceries, prepared meals; reducing food waste
Location: Various, download the app for participating stores
Contact:
 website

Too Good To Go is a certified B corporation that connects users with local businesses offering “surprise bags” of leftover food that, while still good, would otherwise end up being thrown out.

Serving: Anyone
Cost: Discounted; 
Type: Groceries; reducing food waste
Location: Various, visit here for participating stores
Contact:
 website

The Flashfood mobile app helps cut down on food waste in stores by enabling customers to buy near-expiring products at a discount.

Serving: Anyone
Cost: Discounted, $25/box
Type: Produce; reducing food waste
Location: Metro Vancouver, delivered to your door
Contact:
 website

Peko Produce is an online grocery delivery dedicated to fighting food waste. They sell imperfect or surplus produce that would otherwise be discarded. Prices are up to 40% regular retail. A box of produce is $25 and is delivered once a week. 

Seniors

Serving: Seniors

Cost: $7

Type: Munch & Mingle – soup and sandwich.

Hours of operation: Wednesdays 11.30 am – 12.30 pm

Location: 940 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver


Contact: Angela (604 761 1474)

Soup and sandwich, coffee or tea are served. Book a spot or drop in. Bring a Tupperware if you’d like to purchase a meal to bring home.

Serving: Seniors, caregivers, individuals with chronic or acute medical conditions, and/or people recovering from surgery, illness, or injury
Cost: $8.95 – $5.95
Type: Prepared meals
Hours of operation: Deliveries Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10 am and 1 pm, excluding Statutory holidays
Contact:  website

North Shore Meals on Wheels delivers hot, nutritious meals to seniors, caregivers, individuals with chronic or acute medical conditions, and/or people recovering from surgery, illness, or injury. Meals are delivered by volunteers Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays not including Statutory holidays. Their volunteers also provide a brief and informal safety check on clients with each delivery. There is no meal service on statutory holidays.

Serving: ages 65+ or 55-64 on disability assistance living independently
Cost: Free pick up, client pays cost of food
Type: Grocery shopping and delivery
Hours of operation: Require at least 2 days notice for services
Contact: website, 604-982-3321, [email protected]

The North Shore Better at Home program provides assistance with the following food-related services: Grocery and prepared meal pick-up and delivery. A formal intake assessment is required to determine program eligibility. Fees may apply based on a sliding scale that depends on an individual’s or couple’s annual net income. Friendly visiting services by volunteers are free of charge. Please note that an eligible resident may be placed on a waitlist depending on the service requested and the availability of volunteers.

Serving: Seniors
Cost: $10
Type: Prepared meals for delivery or pick up
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday
Location: 144 East 22nd Street, North Vancouver
Contact: website, 604-980-2474, [email protected]

Silver Harbour Seniors’ Activity Centre offers $10 meals for seniors. Meals are available for pick-up Monday-Friday and for delivery three days a week. 

Serving: Seniors
Cost: Varies
Type: Prepared meals for delivery or pick up, dine in service to resume soon
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 9 am – 2 pm,  Saturday and Sunday 10 am – 2 pm
Location: 695 21st St, West Vancouver
Contact:
 website

The Seniors’ Activity Centre’s Garden Side Café currently offers take-out food service only for pick up or delivery. For food delivery call 604-925-7280 between 8:30 am and 10 am to place your order. Delivery is only available on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. A minimum $25 purchase is required for all delivery orders. 

Serving: Seniors

Cost: A donation of $10 is requested

Type: Prepared meal

Hours of operation: From 12 pm. Doors open at 11.30 am for coffee 1st and 3rd Fridays

Location: St. Agnes Anglican Church, 530 – 12th Street East, North Vancouver


Contact: website

Sharing Abundance offers welcoming places where food and community meet. Everyone is welcome whether they choose to donate towards the cost of their meal or not. Sharing Abundance is planning to offer more food services throughout the community soon. Learn more here.

Children & Schools

Serving: School children and their families
Cost: Free
Type: Food hampers
Hours of operation: Fridays
Location: Various schools/community organizations across the North Shore, visit here for exact locations
Contact: website

The Backpack Buddies program is coordinated through teachers, administrators and social workers who advise on the needs of their students and help identify the children who could benefit most from receiving a bag of food for the weekend. 

The Backpack Buddies program delivers bags of food to Recipient Schools on Friday morning. The deliveries are met by school administrators who take them to the school counsellor’s office or another location for discrete and confidential distribution to students as they leave for home Friday afternoon.

Serving: School children
Cost: Free to participating schools
Type: Breakfast program
Hours of operation: Varies based on school
Contact: website

The Breakfast Club of Canada provides breakfast at school to children across Canada. Schools can apply to start a Breakfast Club Program at their school. Learn more here

Support Services & Food Recovery

Serving: Registered charities and non-profit organizations
Cost: Low-cost/free for charities
Type: Low-cost food distribution, food recovery
Contact: website

FoodMesh is a social enterprise that helps retailers reduce their food waste and ensure that their unsalable food is put to its highest end-use.

Through the FoodMesh Marketplace, you can browse a wide range of products that are available for you to buy at a low cost. If you are a charitable organization, you will also be able to view and claim food available for donation. 

Serving: Registered charities and non-profit organizations
Cost: Free for charities
Type: Food distribution, food recovery
Contact: website

Second Harvest rescues good, surplus food from across the supply chain, from farm to retail, and redistributes it to a network of non-profit and charitable partners across Canada.

In addition to direct delivery, Second Harvest’s food rescue app is available nation-wide to help local food donors share their unsold, healthy surplus with non-profits in their own communities.

Serving: Community organizations
Cost: Free for charities
Type: Food distribution, food recovery
Contact: website

Vancouver Food Runners is a registered charity that partners with businesses, volunteer food drivers and nonprofit organizations to bring surplus food directly to those experiencing food insecurity. They partner with a diverse range of nonprofit organizations in Metro Vancouver running food programs, including shelters, supportive housing, neighbourhood houses, and many more. The surplus food provided through our program is often incorporated in food boxes and meal programs for those in our community experiencing food insecurity.

Serving: Registered charities and non-profit organizations
Cost: Free for charities
Type: Food distribution, food recovery
Contact: website

Vancouver Fruit Tree Project is a grassroots organization and registered charity focused on picking backyard fruit trees in Metro Vancouver for distribution to community partners. Interested in becoming a community partner to receive harvest? Learn more here

Looking for a PDF version of this list?

Click below for a condensed, PDF of this list. Please note that this PDF is only updated periodically and may not have the most up-to-date information listed.

Have an update?

For any updates or additions to this list, email [email protected]

Join the Network

Are you a North Shore Food Provider interested in connecting with other food service providers on the North Shore? The North Shore Food Providers Network meets 3-4 times a year to share updates, ask questions, and celebrate successes. Request to join this group by emailing [email protected]

 

The North Shore Food Providers Network also has an online discussion group/Google Group. This online community is a space for food providers to share resources, brainstorm challenges, seek advice, celebrate successes, and provide information about funding, events, and opportunities. Join the Network below. 

To sign up to the Google Group you will require a Gmail or a work email linked to a Gmail account. For support contact [email protected]

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