Squamish Helping Hands and Squamish Food Bank Merge

The Board of Directors of Squamish Food Bank and Squamish Helping Hands Society have made recent changes that will expand access to food services and better serve the community. In 2025, the food services provided by both organizations will be consolidated under Squamish Helping Hands to enhance collaboration, streamline decision-making, and strengthen the sustainability of its mission.

Across British Columbia and in Squamish, the need for food banks in communities has never been greater than it is today. The Squamish Food Bank has served over 450 community members every month, with more than 5,400 visits annually. In 2023, Squamish Helping Hands served and delivered 97,008 hot meals for community members at its Under One Roof facility. It delivers Meals on Wheels and food hampers weekly to seniors and families. Its food service team also prepare 50,000 nutritious meals for children and youth at area elementary schools over the school year.

Food bank services have been operating in partnership with Squamish Helping Hands for several years, but the Squamish Food Bank maintained separate resources like staffing, bookkeeping, IT, grant writing and governance. A significantly larger organization with approximately 60 staff, Squamish Helping Hands has more developed governance and administrative processes, advanced IT systems, and established food security programs. It also offers shelter, housing, and community outreach from a central location in Squamish.

As a not-for-profit charity, Squamish Helping Hands relies on the kindness of others to provide wrap-around care and deliver services for the community. It depends on grants, donated financial and in-kind contributions to operate. At Under One Roof, many meals are prepared with recovered food donated from over 20 community partners. Recovered food is repurposed in the kitchen to create delicious soups and meals which spares 275,920 lbs of food from the dump each year, reduces food costs, and redistributes food where it is needed most. Donated food also helps keep the shelves stocked in the market-style food bank, offering safe, dignified and secure access to nutritious food for all in times of need.

Donors that currently provide funding to both societies to support separate areas of service—such as food, housing, health, and community outreach—can continue to direct their funding as needed, with grant and donor reporting and use of monies appropriately allocated by working with just one organization. This new arrangement reduces overhead costs associated with maintaining two separate organizational structures, including two Boards of Directors and governance systems.

Learn more about how you can support Squamish Helping Hands to nourish our community.