The Golden Food Bank Society hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at the Golden Seniors Centre, relocating from the original outdoor venue due to stormy weather.
The event commenced with a Community BBQ from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM, featuring food, music, and outdoor games for attendees. The BBQ was sponsored by local businesses, and managers from Save-On-Foods were onsite flipping burgers and helping out.
Following the BBQ, the AGM took place from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. During the meeting, the Golden Food Bank Executive Director and board members discussed its achievements over the past year and outlined future initiatives, as well as some of the challenges they faced.
The organization continues to provide low-barrier food access and food literacy programs to residents of Golden and Area A, supporting a diverse demographic, including seniors, children, single adults, and parents facing food insecurity.
Food Bank Emergency Distribution
The core focus of the food bank program provides individuals and families experiencing food insecurity with hampers of fresh food and pantry staples. The hampers are packed using a client-choice shopping model, and a delivery service is available for those unable to access the food bank in person.
Key statistics include:
• 3094 hampers distributed to 516 Golden & Area A households.
• 130 food hamper deliveries provided.
• Fresh milk and eggs are included with every visit.
• 656 unique residents were served, plus over 380 anonymous visits.
• $50k was spent on purchased food, with 9% from local producers through municipal government funding.
By September 2024, the program had to adjust its base hamper policy from two hamperes per month to one hamper per month for clients due to the rising demand.
This change aimed to ensure the continuity of services due to increased community need and sustained high demand from a greater number of residents. Despite this shift, nearly an identical number of hampers were distributed in 2024 compared to the previous year, demonstrating the sustained high demand.
Affordable Meal Kits and Neighbours Affordable Market
• Recipe of the Week’s’ Affordable Meal Kit program: Developed in 2024 as a cost-recovery program, these kits are available to anyone needing affordable, home-cooked meals. They contain pre-portioned ingredients and an easy-to-follow recipe, utilizing between $35-$45 worth of food and costing $10 each (subsidized by grant funding). 1540 meal kits were sold in 6 months (June to December).
Over $1k in produce sourced from local farmers is noted, and the program reached a wider demographic impacted by high food prices, helping build food literacy and cooking skills. The program is noted to continue into 2025, focusing on local and seasonal foods.
• Neighbours Affordable Market: Piloted from June to November as a non-profit grocery program funded by a CBT Resident Directed (ReDi) grant. This market provided subsidized meal kits, fresh produce, and grocery items to families facing short-term financial challenges, designed to fill gaps between emergency food relief and retail grocery stores.
Partnerships and Coupon Program
• A partnership with Golden Community Resources Society and the Better at Home program resulted in over 400 meal kits being distributed to local seniors.
• The BC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program: The Golden Food Bank administers this program, providing coupons redeemable for local, fresh food directly from farmers and producers. 910 coupons were distributed (100% of the community’s allocation), benefiting over 160 lower-income households.
Financial Accountability
The following section breaks down where the Golden Food Bank’s funds came from and how they were used in 2024:
Sources of funds:
• In-Kind (Food, Volunteer Time, Land & Building): 44% ($384,766).
• Grants: 41% ($355,921).
• Monetary Donations: 13% ($111,450).
• Program & Event Revenue: 2% ($18,622).
Uses of funds:
• In-Kind (Food, Volunteer Time, Land & Building): 46% ($384,766).
• Operations & Programs: 41% ($347,952).
• Administration & Professional Fees: 4% ($33,923).
• Development & Fundraising: 1% ($10,535).
• Amortization: 5% ($39,888).
• Special Projects Wages & Benefits: 3% ($27,106).
Community Support and Volunteers
The Golden Food Bank expresses gratitude to donors, funders, sponsors, community advocates, and volunteers. It specifically highlights the dedicated volunteers who donated over 750 hours helping with tasks such as processing recovered and purchased food, stocking shelves, cleaning, portioning ingredients, grounds and maintenance, unloading deliveries, and events. Various community partners, funders, and supporters are also listed.
The Golden Food Bank Society’s 2024 Annual Report underscores a year of significant growth and community impact. The organization supported 516 households—more than double the number served in 2021—distributing over 3,000 food hampers to meet the rising demand for food assistance.
Beyond emergency food distribution, the Food Bank expanded its programs to include food literacy initiatives, affordable meal kits, and partnerships with local producers, all aimed at fostering long-term food security. These efforts reflect the organization’s commitment to not only addressing immediate needs but also empowering the community through education and sustainable practices.
For a comprehensive overview of the Golden Food Bank Society’s initiatives and impact, you can access the full 2024 Annual Report at www.GoldenFoodBank.ca.
