GFB Launches 2024 Holiday Fundraising Campaign!
Spread cheer this holiday season doing good for our community!
With this merry season upon us again, the Golden Food Bank is launching a Holiday Fundraising Campaign! We are a nonprofit society and charity independent of core government funding, which means we rely on donations and grants to cover program and operating costs each year. Over fifty percent of our donations come in the month of December, meaning this is an incredibly important time that determines our capacity and budget for delivering food-access support in the year ahead.
Food bank use across Canada is at record-breaking levels, with no signs that affordability and the cost of living is going to ease up heading into 2025. One in five British Columbians are currently struggling with food insecurity, and the high cost of living and food prices are affecting all of us. There were over 2 million visits to food banks in Canada in March 2024 - the highest number in history. In Golden and Area A, we have seen a steady rise in demand for food access support over the last number of years. We support an average of 177 households with emergency food assistance each month, and 215 households at our peak. 634 residents have accessed our Food Bank program at least once this year - that’s a number equivalent to 17.4% of the town’s population! Despite these high numbers, food insecurity and affordability issues are impacting many more people who do not go to food banks for help.
Together we are making a difference. Over 2,700 hampers filled with fresh produce, meat, dairy, dry goods, toiletries, diapers, and formula have been distributed so far in 2024; food that wouldn't have been on the table otherwise. Food insecurity can impact us all at different times and for different reasons - the GFB is here to help! Our Affordable Market, $10 Meal Kit, and Food Rescue programs make food support more accessible to more people, "feed" the sustainability of our programs, and reduce food waste in our community.
We do this through the power of community, and we need your help now more than ever!
We’ve created a Holiday Fundraising Guide to give you some ideas about how you could rally your networks to raise some funds this holiday season, and some information about our greatest areas of need. If you are organizing a fundraiser or event on our behalf, we are happy to provide support with logos and branding, key messaging, posters, and cross-promotion on social media and in our newsletter. This guide is intended to give you some ideas about how you could fundraise for us, and provide information about our areas of greatest need this holiday season.
Raise funds with a Virtual Food Drive!
Setting up a Virtual Food Drive through Food Banks BC is a fun and easy way for your group to raise funds for our Food Bank program! Visit bit.ly/goldenfoodbank to get started. In just a few minutes, you can set up an online donation page to collect donations, and create a team with your co-workers, party/event, club, team, or business. Virtual Food Drive donations are tax-deductible, and donors will receive an automated tax receipt once their donation is successfully processed. Simply click ‘Join Team’ on our GFB Holiday Fundraiser page and proceed through the registration. Staff are available to support you with any questions at info@goldenfoodbank.ca
Hosting your own fundraiser is a powerful way to support our Food Bank program and raise awareness within our community. Setting up a Virtual Food Drive allows you to bring together colleagues, friends, and family in a meaningful, collective effort to get food directly to those in need.
If you’d like some help setting up your fundraising page, design and branding, or a poster for your space, reach out to us at info@goldenfoodbank.ca! We are here to help your fundraising efforts every step of the way! Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram pages (@GoldenFoodBank) over the month of December, where we will be sharing yours and the community's progress!
Donate online with CanadaHelps
Your donations make all the difference. The GFB is a nonprofit society independent of core government funding, meaning we rely on donations and grants to cover our program and operating costs each year. Monthly donors provide a budget for purchasing fresh food each month including milk, eggs, and produce - ensuring our food access programs support a healthy diet.
You can donate online at: www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/golden-food-bank-society/
We accept donations of food!
If you have food to donate or are thinking about organizing a community food drive, here are a few things to think about:
Many of the food donations we receive don’t make it onto our shelves because they are too far past the best before date or have previously been opened.
If you are running an event or a food drive, consider asking for a monetary donation instead. Cash donations allow us to use our bulk-buying power to purchase nutritious staples at a discount and pay for program costs not covered by grants.
All donated food must be inspected before we can give it out. Sorting through the food you are donating using the criteria below saves us time and valuable storage space during the busy holiday season!
We are not able to accept open, expired, damaged, or homemade food items. Dry goods are fit for consumption past their best before date within the following guidelines provided by Food Banks Canada:
Canned, jarred, and bottled food items: 1-2 years past best before date
Boxed and bagged food items: 6-12 months past best before date
If you are running a holiday food drive, consider promoting for donations from our most-needed items list!
Toilet paper
Personal hygiene and cleaning products
Baby diapers and formula
Dried fruit, nuts, and jerky
Seasonings, herbs, cooking oil, and baking ingredients
Gluten-free and vegetarian items
Pet food
Don’t want to donate online?
We accept donations via cash, cheque, or card onsite and provide a tax receipt for all donations over $20. Due to the ongoing Canada Postal Workers strike, we encourage donors to drop donations off rather than mailing them this year. Food and other donations are accepted anytime during office hours Monday to Thursday, 10AM-4PM and until 6PM on Wednesdays, up to December 23rd. The Golden Food Bank will be closed from December 24th to 30th, and will re-open on December 31st.
