BC Thanksgiving Food Drive Coming to Your Door

September 13th to 19th, 2025

The 19th Annual BC Thanksgiving Food Drive is coming up during the week of September 13–19, and once again our community has an opportunity to help stock local food banks with much-needed food.

Throughout the week, volunteers from local organizations, businesses, churches, and families will be delivering paper donation bags to homes in neighbourhoods across Duncan, Chemainus, Cowichan Bay, Crofton, Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan, and Mill Bay.

If you receive a bag, simply fill it with non-perishable food items such as canned goods, dried foods, pasta, cereal, and other pantry staples. Please place your filled bag outside your front door by 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, and volunteers will return to collect it.

All food collected stays local and will be distributed to food banks throughout the Cowichan Valley, including the Cowichan Valley Basket Society (Duncan Food Bank), Mill Bay Food Bank, Lake Cowichan Food Bank, and Chemainus Harvest House Food Bank.

The need continues to grow. Local food banks have seen significant increases in the number of individuals and families looking for help as the rising cost of food, housing, and other basic necessities puts increasing pressure on household budgets.

Food Banks Canada reports that approximately 33% of food bank users are children, 43.8% are single individuals, more than 8% are seniors, and about 1 in 6 people accessing food banks are employed. Food insecurity can affect anyone, and more working families are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

If you do not receive a bag, or would prefer to make a financial donation, you can donate online at CVBS.ca/thanksgiving. Financial donations are also extremely helpful because food banks can use their purchasing power to stretch every donated dollar further.

Thank you for supporting the BC Thanksgiving Food Drive and helping local food banks continue to provide food to our neighbours throughout the Cowichan Valley.