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.
Launch of the Working Group: First Session Overview
March 12, 2026 | The Stir, 185 Royal Ave.
On March 12th, the Working Group officially launched its first session at The Stir. The group is composed of a diverse collective that brings together a wide range of expertise, including the community meal providers, social agencies, volunteers and community representatives, and institutional stakeholders from across Kamloops:
Members discussed the Terms of Reference and heard presentations on:
- Assets mapping of current meal services in Kamloops
- Quick overview of provincial food security definitions (BCCDC, 2022)
The group reviewed insights and key takeaways from the February roundtable discussion before moving into productive breakout sessions. In these smaller groups, members began co-defining the project’s mission statement and long-term goals, ensuring that our roadmap is built on the collective wisdom of those who know our food system best.
The KFPC held the Free Meal Provision Roundtable
February 5, 2026 | The Stir, 185 Royal Ave.
Twenty-seven people including meal providers, social agencies, city and health representatives, and other stakeholders met to discuss gaps and challenges in our local meal services.
We introduced a one-year Meal Service Coordination project, which aims to improve the coordination and effectiveness of Kamloops meal service providers by forming a working group.
Guest speaker Madison Hynes from Food First NL presented an amazing project titled Rethinking Food Charity: A Community Conversation.
VIEW THE PRESENTATION SLIDES HERE
We formally proposed the formation of a working group composed of representatives from meal service providers and other key stakeholders. The group will meet regularly throughout the year to identify key actionable strategies to streamline and improve food access in Kamloops.
VIEW THE ROUNDTABLE SLIDES HERE
We had a productive discussion session where we addressed the following questions:
- What is missing in the meal provision system?
- What unmet needs to you observe?
- What do you want the working group to know that can inform its goals and vision?
The Participants’ feedback will help us improve the structure of the working group.
Next Steps:
The working group will begin its activities in March. The tentative timeline for the meetings is from March 2026 to January 2027.
What do we mean by free meal provision? This refers to the direct act of supplying prepared or easily preparable food to those in need.
Who are meal providers? Organizations on the Meal Calendar, including the organizations that provide free meals or those who supply ingredients for meal preparation.
Who are meal recipients? This includes low-income individuals and families, seniors, unhoused and vulnerably-housed individuals, students, people with disabilities, special health needs, Indigenous groups, ethnic minorities, newcomers, and more.
The KFPC held the Food Security Roundtable
November 6 2025 | The Stir, 185 Royal Ave.
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.
Food Security Roundtable Visual Summary by Marie Bartlett
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.
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/
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)