Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions about online donations, tax receipts, donor information, volunteering, or the impact of your gift? Find the answers to commonly asked questions below. 
Not what you are looking for? Contact our Development team at 236-992-1899 or development@foodbank.bc.ca. We would love to hear from you! 

The Impact of Your Donation

With each donation, 81% is allocated to food purchasing and distribution, specialized nutrition programs for babies, children, and seniors, as well as warehouse operations. Just under 19% supports administration and fundraising. This is well within the guidelines set by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for Canadian charities. 

The GVFB supports people struggling with food insecurity who live in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and on the North Shore. Food insecurity applies to individuals, couples and families who cannot afford the quality and quantity of food they need to avoid hunger. This can range from having to buy exclusively low-cost/low-nutrition foods or simply not being able to afford groceries at all because the bank account is empty. Food is often last on the list after critical, ongoing costs such as housing, utilities, and clothing are taken care of; we are here to help!

Online Donations

Thank you for your donation! Once you’ve made an online donation, you should receive an email confirmation from the GVFB with the gift amount, your name, and mailing address within a few minutes. Please be sure to check your junk mail. If you do not receive an email confirmation, contact us at 236-992-1899 or development@foodbank.bc.ca.

If you would like to cancel a donation or are having any other problems donating, please contact us at 236-992-1899 or development@foodbank.bc.ca. 

You can increase the impact of your gift by covering the processing fees for your donation. This fee includes both the credit card processing fee and the platform fee. Most fundraising platforms require a fee for each donation received. This fee, along with the credit card processing fee, is deducted directly from donations, and we receive the remaining balance. Platform fees have always been part of the process, even with our previous fundraising platform. Through our current platform, Fundraise Up, we have the ability to offer donors the chance to cover these necessary charges, ensuring their entire donation directly supports the cause. As a donor, you can choose whether you wish to cover these fees.  

Mailings and Donor Information

To update your mailing address, please contact our Development team at 236-992-1899 or development@foodbank.bc.ca. 

You can manage your monthly donation through your Donor Portal. To access, simply enter in the email address you used to start your donation and a secure login link will be sent. This link expires in 24 hours, eliminating the need for a password. For your easy reference, please refer to this “How-To” guide for all things related to the donor portal!  

Please note this feature is currently only available for monthly gifts via credit card. For other payment methods, please contact Mandy Wu, our Annual Giving Officer, by email MandyW@foodbank.bc.ca or phone 604-216-2328 for assistance. 

If you would like to reduce or change the amount of mail or email you receive from us, connect with us at 236-992-1899 or development@foodbank.bc.ca. You can also click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of an email sent by the GVFB to reduce the frequency of emails. 

Because our mailings are pre-printed and pre-planned, updates to mailing preferences can take 8-10 weeks to come into effect. You may receive one last piece of mail if we are far enough along in the production and already in the process of mailing or our next appeal. Thank you for your understanding. 

Charitable Tax Receipts

For donations made online through our website, an automated tax receipt will be issued immediately to the email address provided on the donation form. For donations made offline through phone, paper mail or in-person, tax receipts will be issued and sent in approximately 2 to 3 weeks’ time. During the holiday season, this process may take a bit longer- thank you for your patience.  

For monthly donors, a consolidated tax receipt for all monthly gifts made within the calendar year will be issued and sent before the end of February of the following year.  

Most receipts will be emailed unless no email address was provided or stated otherwise. Please ensure to check your junk folder if you cannot locate your receipt.  

It depends! The GVFB follows Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) guidelines and regulations around issuing tax receipts, which require the charity to determine the fair market value of an item.  

To check if your donation is eligible for a tax receipt, please contact our Development team at 236-992-1899 or development@foodbank.bc.ca.

Yes, if the donation came from a joint account, the receipt could have one or both names. However, only one person can claim the tax credit.  

No. The official donation receipt must be in the name of the true donor – the individual or organization that made the donation to the charity. For example, a cheque or credit card clearly shows the name of the individual or organization making the gift.

Ways to Give

Thank you so much! Yes, we accept donations by mail or in person as well. 

You can mail in a cheque or fill out a donation form with your credit card information and mail your donation to 8345 Winston St, Burnaby, BC, V5A 2H3. Please do not send cash through the mail. 

Donations can also be dropped off in person at GVFB’s Burnaby warehouse at to 8345 Winston St. 

Thank you for celebrating your loved one in such a meaningful way. To donate in honour or memory of someone, please select the checkbox for “Dedicate this donation” when making an online donation. 

You will receive an email after your donation prompting you to add the name of the honouree, their email, and your message to them. You can also pick from our many card designs most suitable for the occasion.  

If you wish to do this offline, please contact our Development team at 236-992-1899 or development@foodbank.bc.ca. 

The tax receipt for this donation will be addressed and sent to you. 

To discuss or advise us of your gift, please contact Greg Douglas, Director of Development, at 604-314-6980. You can also complete our Securities Donation Form and return by email to GregD@foodbank.bc.ca. We will be in touch when the transfer is complete. 

After much consideration, we have decided to move away from food drives for three reasons: unhealthy food donations, labour intensive, and better buying power. To read more, please visit our industry food donations page 

We regularly update our application status for individual and group volunteering. Please visit our volunteer page for more information on application status, volunteer requirements, available opportunities and more! 

Not the FAQs you were looking for? Click below to find more resources.

VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE       VOLUNTEERS       REGISTRATION

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