The Barrhaven Food Cupboard (BFC) is a community-led organization that provides food assistance to families in need in the Barrhaven area through the generosity of our community.

We were originally a part of the Family Services Association of Churches (FAMSAC) food bank that was founded in 1969 in Bells Corners. In 1993, the Barrhaven United Church set up a separate food depot as an outreach activity when the church was built on Jockvale Rd.

Since then we have grown. The Barrhaven Food Cupboard has evolved into a community-led service that has operated autonomously from the church since 2005. And Barrhaven has grown too. The demand for our help is much greater, the population of the community more diverse. We currently operate out of the basement of the United Church but will be moving to a new space in the Walter Baker Centre in Spring 2019.

The BFC is managed and run 100 % by volunteers who want to help those in need in our community. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and even from outside Barrhaven.

Our Board of Directors, elected by the community, is responsible for overall management. Volunteer coordinators oversee operations such as picking up and sorting donations, packing food orders, arranging and delivering food, and liaising with volunteers and donors.

We operate two food assistance programs – our year-round regular program and our Christmas Hamper program. Food orders consist of non-perishable food items and every day personal and household items. We also include grocery gift certificates in the food orders we provide so that families can purchase perishables such as milk, bread, meat and fresh produce.

The Barrhaven Food Cupboard is supported 100% by donations from members of the community. We do not receive any funding or other support from government, government agencies or the Ottawa Food Bank. We do our best to keep our administrative costs as low as possible so that the donations made go directly to helping our community members in need.