At the Nelson Food Cupboard, we believe having access to healthy food is a human right. Due to various social and economic factors, many people in our community do not have sufficient resources to provide food for themselves and their families.  We are here to bridge that gap.

The Nelson Food Cupboard is a barrier-free food bank open to the public three days per week.  To us, “Barrier-free” means that anyone can come to our food bank as often as they need and we don’t ask them to justify why they need to use our services. We respect individuals’ rights to privacy and dignity and aim to create a welcoming and safe atmosphere for people of all backgrounds.

In 2010, we have seen a significant increase in the number of clients accessing our services.  Currently, we are seeing over 1000 people every month and aim to meet their diverse family and dietary needs with healthy foods. Our shelves are regularly stocked with fresh produce, diverse breads, bulk grains, peanut butter, and canned goods, and on certain days other nutritious foods such as tofu, fresh local farm eggs and different types of meat are offered to our customers. 

Food Cupboard customers come from Nelson and the surrounding towns and rural areas. One quarter are children. Many of our customers struggle to make ends meet on social assistance, some work for low wages and support families, and others are in transitional periods of their lives. Food Cupboard customers’ stories are as diverse as those of other socio-economic groups.

In addition to the food bank, we operate Harvest Rescue, a fresh produce gleaning program, and offer food skills workshops that focus on cooking on a limited budget and making the most of seasonal produce harvesting.

We are a community-minded organization and value supporting the local economy. We partner with diverse social service agencies, businesses and individuals to deliver programs and fund raise. We aim to purchase as much of our food locally as possible and work directly with local farmers and locally-owned businesses.

We always welcome new faces, new energy & new ideas.