Meal Programs

Food Bank

Denman Island has a food bank that operates in the evening twice a week. They are able to provide local and fresh veggies through donations from local farmers when they are in season. They serve 80 - 100 people per month, with roughly 30% of those being children and about the same single mothers. They are looking at utilising the new certified cooking facilities next door for a meal program. The food bank does have the capacity to perform home deliveries upon request.1

Farm to Family

This program started during COVID to support farmers and elders. Food is purchased from local farmers and nutritious meals are prepared. As of 2021, around 35 people are the recipients of these free meals.2

Farmers Market Coupon Program

This program supports local farmers by providing coupons for people to shop at their local farmers market. These coupons enable locals to support their farmers and provides local and nutritional food that many may be unable to afford otherwise.3

Holiday Hampers

Delivered in December, these hampers contain wrapped presents, fresh produce, turkey, ham, or vegan options, treats, and basic groceries. This is a program run out of the Community School and is guided by the Denman Island Community Education Society (DICES). This program is available for families and individuals.4

School Lunch Program

The school district has a weekly lunch program at the elementary school. It is run with the assistance of hired DICES staff.4

Community Garden

The Hornby Island Community Garden was many years in the making. A small, dedicated group of volunteers worked hard to establish the Hornby Island Farmland Trust Society to hold the long-term lease on the piece of land for community garden plots.

The community garden was started with a small number of large plots that community members applied for on a first-come first-served basis. They realized that more and smaller plots were needed. This would allow them to accommodate the long waitlist of applicants and provide spaces for those who may have been daunted by the amount of work needed for large plots. Today the garden has grown exponentially with plots of a variety of sizes, a tool and potting shed, a small chicken coop, and many happy gardeners. With rainwater collection and a pond that doesn’t go dry until August, the community garden is able to water without depleting the local water table.5

Holiday Hampers

Delivered in December, these hampers contain wrapped presents, fresh produce, turkey, ham, or vegan options, treats, and basic groceries. This is a program run through volunteers and donations. Families and individuals are able to sign up for this program.6

The Kitchen

Through the Hornby Island Educational Society, The Kitchen serves anywhere between 45 and 70 meals three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This number is between 60 and 70 in the colder months as this is a time of year when there is less work available on the island. The Kitchen is undertaking research into further developing its Hot Meal Home Delivery Program.7

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  1. Food Bank Volunteer. (2023). Denman Island Food Bank ↩︎
  2. Program Coordinator. (2023). Farm to Family ↩︎
  3. Farmer’s Market Manager. (2023). Farmers Market Coupon Program. https://bcfarmersmarket.org/coupon-program/how-it-works/ ↩︎
  4. Board Member. (2023). Denman Island Community Educational Society ↩︎
  5. Board Member. (2023). Hornby Island Farmland Trust ↩︎
  6. Executive Director. (2023). Hornby Denman Health. https://hornbydenmanhealth.com/ ↩︎
  7. Program Coordinator. (2023). HIES: The Kitchen ↩︎