Food Security

Food security is a critical issue in our community


Poverty is not a choice. Poverty is a systemic issue. The whole community benefits by addressing the root causes of poverty.

The food security roundtable was hosted by the Kamloops Food Policy Council on November 6th, 2025, at the Stir, located at 185 Royal Ave.

A total of 31 participants attended, including representatives from Interior Health, the City of Kamloops, Ask Wellness, Mount Paul Community Food Centre, the Food Bank, United Way BC, the Light House Project, PIT Stop United Church, Foundry Kamloops, School District 73, the District Parent Advisory Council, Kamloops Immigrant Services, Kamloops Sexual Assault Counselling Centre, and other stakeholders.

The focus of the roundtable was on household food insecurity and emergency meal service providers in Kamloops. The KFPC shared insights from the Kamloops CARE Coalition survey and interviews, highlighting key gaps and challenges within our meal provider system, along with actionable recommendations. The presentation slides are provided below. (For more information, check out the Kamloops CARE Coalition project summary in the CFJC Sound Off Column)

During the open discussion session, facilitated by the City’s Social and Community Development team, participants shared their visions for a food-secure Kamloops, particularly regarding the emergency meal service provider system. Marie Bartlett, the Instructional Designer at Thompson Rivers University, visualized the summary of the discussion.

In the session on November 6th, we introduced a new model for more frequent updates to the meal calendar based on the feedback we’ve received. The new meal calendar can be found here.
To meal service providers: please review the provided tutorial in the meal calendar document before making any changes to the sheet. If you have any questions or need clarification regarding the meal calendar, feel free to reach out to us at info@kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil.com.

Kamloops Cultural Food Assets Map - Created by KFPC
Kamloops Food Asset IndexCommunity Food Asset Map - Created by City of KamloopsLow Cost Recipes

What are the barriers to food security for vulnerable populations? Read our Food and The City 2024 article to learn more https://kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil.com/2024/10/03/vulnerable-populations-and-food-security-food-and-the-city-2024/

Stigma is one of the greatest barriers to change in Kamloops. Words, Actions and Beliefs Matter.

Kamloops Changing the Face of Poverty played an important role in poverty reduction in Kamloops for over 15 years. We welcome you to read our newly released report “Kamloops Changing the Face of Poverty: Learnings, Transition and Recommendations” written by Emily Pletsch and Bonnie Klohn. We share the history of CFP, our learnings from 2020-2021 and action oriented recommendations for next steps in addressing poverty in Kamloops.

Looking for resources on Changing the Face of Poverty? Pursue our CFP archives from 2017-2021:

More than just a meal: community and social justice approaches to Food Security in Kamloops, British Columbia (Thompson Rivers University, Fauve Quoiayanna Smith, 2023)