Kamloops Food Bank is a 3-star charity with Good impact. The charity has a high results reporting grade but is not financially transparent. 

Founded in 1981, Kamloops Food Bank collects and distributes food to people in need, with the goal of eliminating hunger in Kamloops. It operates independently and is a member of Food Banks British Columbia and an affiliate member of Food Banks Canada.

Kamloops Food Bank’s main priority is food collection and distribution through its foodSHARE and Starfish Backpacks programs. The charity also provides diapers and other baby supplies to families in need through its Baby Bank program. The charity did not provide a breakdown of spending on its programs in F2021.

A Charity Intelligence 2022 Top 10 Canadian Food Bank

Kamloops Food Bank reports that its foodSHARE program is the largest food recovery program operated by a food bank in Western Canada. Through the foodSHARE program, Kamloops Food Bank rescues food from going to the landfill and distributes it to families, schools, community agencies, and farmers. In F2021, the charity distributed 2.4 million pounds of food to 5,000 individuals, 49 community agencies, and nine food banks.

Through its Starfish Backpacks program, Kamloops Food Bank provides food to children who have been identified at school as not having enough food to carry them through the weekend. In F2021, the charity distributed 144 backpacks of food each week to school children.

Through its Baby Bank program, Kamloops Food Bank gives families in need a monthly supply of diapers, formula, baby food, and hygiene products. The program’s goal is to remove financial stressors from families to ensure they can afford nutritious food for their infants. Kamloops Food Bank distributed 54,600 diapers in F2021.

Kamloops Food Bank is not financially transparent. It does not post its audited financial statements on its website. This financial review was prepared using financial statements provided by the CRA.

Kamloops Food Bank had total cash donations and special events revenues of $2.1m in F2021, compared to $1.2m in F2020. It also received $7.6m in donated food and other goods, representing 76% of total revenues. 

Administrative costs are 2% of revenues (less investment income), and fundraising costs are 6% of cash donations. For every dollar donated, 92 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range of overhead spending.

Kamloops Food Bank has total funding reserves of $1.8m, compared to $1.3m in F2020. Excluding the cost of donated goods, Kamloops Food Bank could cover 175% or one year and nine months of its annual program costs with reserves.  

Charity Intelligence sent this update to Kamloops Food Bank for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 13, 2022, by Sydney Olexa.