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HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM NELSON COMMUNITY FOOD CENTRE
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Dear Lisa,
As 2025 comes to a close, we invite you to reflect on the NCFC’s remarkable progress and accomplishments over the past year. This year, our staff, board, donors, volunteers, local farmers and restauranteurs, and the wider community have all played a vital role in moving NCFC toward its vision of a thriving community centered on good food for all. Your donation—big or small—helps create opportunities for people facing adversity to gather with dignity around good food. Your support allows us to continue this work, strengthening community, deepening connection, and expanding access to good food for all.
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OUR COLLECTIVE IMPACT
 Our Community Meals are at the heart of our work, sustained by the shared efforts of volunteers, donors, and participants. Every Tuesday, the Gathering Table offers a nourishing meal and a place for neighbours to connect. Together, we served 3,707 meals since the program was launched on March 18, 2025.
Our partnerships with Nelson Street Outreach, ANKORS, and the Temporary Drop-In Center strengthen our ability to meet community needs. Through the No Cook program, we collectively provide simple, nutritious food requiring little to no preparation— 7,800 sandwiches and 2,080 bagged meals.
The Good Food Bank operates as a community-supported, market-style program centered on providing seasonal fruits, vegetables, & pantry staples. Thanks to volunteers, donors, and local producers, we served an average of 112 households and 273 individuals— and provided 2,855 light meals over the course of the year.
The Good Food Drop Program extends the impact of our Good Food Bank program to households facing transportation or health challenges. With volunteers and partner support, we delivered 592 food boxes to 31 families every other week.
Our Food Skills goal is to support community members who lack access to healthy food, strengthened by local instructors, and participants who create a vibrant learning environment. This year, we offered three multi-week programs and four community workshops, with another planned for December.
Our garden projects flourish through community collaboration. This year, we added new raised beds at two locations and expanded our composting system—with special thanks to Selkirk SOAR instructor Alison Roy, our neighbour Norm Edelmann and the volunteers who helped prepare and maintain these space.
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A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
Next year, 2026, brings opportunity for growth, evolution, and a renewed vision. With long term financial sustainability, we can focus on addressing food security and building community right in our own backyard. Your valuable donation helps NCFC foster healthier communities by creating welcoming spaces where everyone can access good food, while sustaining the unique programs that support our neighbours as their needs continue to grow. Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.
A SHOUT OUT TO OUR DONORS
NCFC is grateful to the generosity of our donors, past and present. Without their financial support we would not be able to deliver the programs that are valuable for so many in the greater community. The dedicated work of staff who coordinate and oversee our programs, the volunteers who help run them, and the happy and grateful faces of the participants who rely on them, are only possible due to the helping hand our donors give us. Your donation is meaningful and important.
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CELEBRATING OUR VOLUNTEERS
Our dedicated volunteers bring their knowledge, skills, and warmth to every program. They support an incredible range of tasks—packaging food, sorting eggs, prepping and serving meals, busing tables, greeting and registering participants, setting up and taking down events, cleaning, weeding, watering, and so much more. NCFC simply couldn’t operate without their tireless commitment. This includes our volunteer Board of Directors, who generously give their time, guidance, and leadership throughout the year. Thank you to the many long-time volunteers who have been with us for years, and to the newer volunteers who have jumped in to strengthen our team. This year alone, volunteers contributed more than 2,700 hours of their time. We are deeply grateful for each and every one of them.
 Jan has worked as a volunteer at NCFC for 15 years. The enthusiasm, warmth, and dedication of both our long-time and recent volunteers is an intrinsic part of the impact we have in our community.
“The hours that I spend volunteering at the NCFC are always a bright light in my week. Over the many years that I have been involved I have seen the NCFC evolve and grow to the wonderful gathering place that it is now, a place that is completely welcoming to everyone, where good food is offered and a place to socialize is enjoyed by many. I am proud to be part of such a community building organization.”
Jan Flett greeting everyone with a welcoming smile at our Community Harvest Dinner.
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OUR AMAZING STAFF
None of our programs would be possible without the dedication and talent of our valued staff. The Gathering Table community meals are highly nutritious, culturally diverse & delicious, and beautifully presented by Chef Ainsleah. Led by Emil, our gardens continue to play an essential role in advancing NCFC’s mission of strengthening food security and community wellness. Bee, our Food Skills coordinator, continues to deliver programs that provide a mix of introductory cooking skills, baking techniques, and budget-friendly meal preparation for a diverse group of community members. Monica, our well rounded and multi-skilled Operations Manager supports the ED and the Centre by implementing and overseeing operational systems. Our market-style Good Food Bank (GFB), which offers fresh produce, eggs, and grains is overseen by our new GFB coordinator, Rosemary. We were thrilled to welcome Gord as our new Executive Director this year. He brings a deep well of experience in non-profit leadership, food security, and agriculture, and we are grateful to have him guiding the organization forward.
Nelson Community Food Centre Staff
Left to Right
Rosemary, Ainsleah, Monica, Gord, and Bee
Not pictured: Emil
We invite you to join us on December 23rd, for our Annual Holiday Feast from 4 pm-6 pm.
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FESTIVE FOOD DAYS
The holidays are a special time of year for giving. Your gift allows NCFC to offer additional events, festive foods, and deliver donations of essential goods to our participants. This year, we are offering “Festive” items such as Oso Negro coffee, made from scratch granola, and Holiday themed foods.
We wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and year ahead. May you and NCFC continue to flourish. Thank you for your contributions and all that you do.
The NCFC Family
The Nelson Community Food Centre is a registered charity: Canada Revenue Agency BN#82876 2344RR0001. NCFC is not the local recipient of the CBC Food Bank fundraiser. All financial donations are tax deductible and will receive a receipt, issued annually for most contributions, and immediately for online donations.
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