Growing demand pushes Salmon Arm food bank to limit service area

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Increasing demand has pushed a Salmon Arm food bank to limit the size of the area it services. In October 2025, the Observer contacted the city’s Second Harvest Food Bank, seeking comment to a complaint received that users from Blind Bay had been turned away because they did not have a Salmon Arm address. While the food bank couldn’t speak to a specific matter, it’s board confirmed via written response that Second Harvest has had to reduce its service area in order to remain sustainable. “After lengthy discussions, the Board of Directors of Second Harvest has found it necessary to concentrate our resources to only the Salmon Arm community, lowering registrants to approximately 550 users,” said the board in a letter to the Observer. “Although this has resulted in negative sentiment and comments by many previous shoppers at Second Harvest, we have noted users removed from our registered list have a Food Bank in the areas in which they live.” Located beneath the Salmar Classic Theatre in Salmon Arm’s downtown, the non-profit food bank relies on “the generosity of an overwhelming number of socially concerned, gracious citizens and business owners who see their struggling neighbours and give repeatedly to Second Harvest, their time and financial support.” “Without their support, Second Harvest who receives no funding from provincial or any government source, cannot be sustained…,” said the board. The board said over the past few years its number of registered users has swelled to 650, “which equates to 35,500 people being provided with food during our 2024/2025 year.” “These numbers are straining our resources to our limits, and we have found it necessary to reduce the number of individuals we support to levels that honour our donors’ continued support, our budget, our facility and our volunteers,” said the board, noting its mandate “continues to be, to do our VERY BEST each week with what we have, and to be accountable to all of our Salmon Arm citizens, shoppers and donors alike.” For more information about the food bank, visit shuswapsecondharvest.ca. Read more: Salmon Arm food bank struggling to keep up with inflation Read more: Memorial Arena memories to be shared in tribute to Salmon Arm facility being demolished