North Bay Food Bank - North Bay, Ontario

Christina R. B.

Best food bank in town! The staff is super friendly and there to help you with your needs!

Augustine O.

They have done so well. Today was our second time there and their numerous food item have been so helpful to us most especially the organic vegetables for my little son. Kudos to you all at North Bay Food Bank, God bless you all.

Lady H.

So helpful for people in need.
I went as times get hard and they gave bacon eggs butter veggies and so much more. They are kind caring and really help out. So amazing. People donate if you can it really is helping so many people and families.

J M.

You have to have an address and some sort of income to use this food bank, they like being able to track who comes and goes for government funding, so the record numbers of homeless here can't even use this food bank, because they don't have an address for staff to add to their logs to ensure they keep getting funding. Every grocery store gives them food, but they will deny you on the most minor of reasons. If you're in serious need, I would urge you to try salvation army or one of the churches in town, North Bay Food Bank will not help you and it does not care about you. They will also not give you meat despite having it in excess they give it to random people or friends of volunteers but not to the public. They give unfair treatment based on your sex and race as well.

An additon, they also have volunteers that actively bully the smaller food banks out of the stores that could help other charities. I've watched it happen personally many times, particularly at Food Basics.

They get the most funding out of every food bank and lack the basic skills to inventory it and keep track of it. Volunteers have been seen loading minivans with food for themselves. The local Nugget really needs to do a story on how inept and corrupt this food bank has become. Every single other food bank in the city doesn't have the extreme requirements for access that the north bay food bank has people go through. It borders on discrimination, especially with new international students moving here, they don't get to access the food bank as well because a lot of them had to stay in hotels while going to school.

Nathan W. (.

Pretty much useless...you have to fit a certain criteria. So no homeless people allowed at all, no paper ID....so if you've got proof of address plus photo ID 3 months of bank statements you can use the foodbank or whatever the staff don't take first....all their fresh food comes in Friday (theyre closed) and sits stagnant until Monday when they open, its just how they show the community they care, guaranteeing that low income people get low quality food. They make sure even the fresh food is a couple days old. I no longer waste my time going there because I don't like the way they treat me and can't stand that they turn away hungry people. Plus I've never received any meat or anything other than a couple potatoes....never anything off their checklist, because they don't document inventory which is a red flag, hard to see what people are taking out when you don't write down what's coming in.....its a disgusting truth about northern communities but the truth nevertheless most food banks have volunteers only deliver partial amounts back to the food banks, pick up 10 boxes of cookies but 8 boxes get delivered and 6 boxes get distributed. I don't know exactly what goes on at north bay food banks but I know that between 2 food banks they can barely feed 1 person for 1 week and it's always the same brown beans tomato sauce rice frozen bread.....I am grateful for what I get but it's hard to see homeless people get turned away from food banks and harder to know. How much funding they get and how little they spend on the community. Wolves in sheep's clothing

Darryl L.

Turned away every time I go there. I've been there 4 times in 3 years. And the last 3 times, I waited outside for 10 minutes or longer only to have someone come out and tell me they can't help me. It's a waste of time trying to get help there.

Kitt

I have always found the staff friendly and courteous and always willing to share a smile. Wait times are enjoyable because other clients are always friendly and enjoy a good chat. The experience makes you feel good about going.

Growing U. D.

I wish I could write 0 starts they used to be amazing and kind hearted now they have some drill sergeant in charge ( or maybe she just thinks it ) but either way i was bassically shoved( not physically) out crying how embarrassing( i say this cause she wouldnt even let me put my stuff back in my purse and i was fumbling a bit because of the tears so like she could have some form of heart) all because of a rent receipt they sold my building literally a couple months ago so ive yet to get one due to my landlord being in Toronto i just do bank deposit's but I kept offering like my bills to prove where i live and other stuff an nope and i was very polite how could I not be I was so greatful so to go home with a grumbling belly hurts I havent been to a food bank in so long and i will never go back soooo embarrassing and to other who see this make sure you have what they need cause like i said i wasnt mean i just started crying in the chair and she got very rude not with words with tones but the two guys sitting there were very nice i just thought id add that but make sure you have everything so you dont end up like me...Karma is everything !