Greater Vancouver Food Bank buys new permanent home for $15 million | Daily Hive

Greater Vancouver Food Bank buys itself a new permanent home for $15 million

Greater Vancouver Food Bank facility at 3454 Lougheed Highway, Vancouver. (Greater Vancouver Food Bank)

After years of operating without a permanent home base, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB) formally announced today it has purchased its first long-term home — a 16,000 sq. ft. facility at 3454 Lougheed Highway in East Vancouver.

The acquisition comes after the food bank was forced to relocate six times in just four years, straining its operations.

Supported by the success of the charity’s first-ever capital campaign, the purchase marks a turning point that ensures long-term stability and lays the foundation for future growth and innovation.

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Fundraising efforts for the acquisition first began in early Spring 2025, with a stated goal from the outset of reaching $15 million.

By June 24, the food bank indicated it had already reached 80 per cent of their target goal. Records show the food bank closed the deal to acquire the property on June 25 in a transaction worth $15.2 million.

“I am deeply grateful to every donor, partner, and volunteer who made this campaign a success,” said David Long, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, in a statement today.

“Your generosity has given us more than a permanent home; you’ve given us the ability to provide healthy food and hope for our community for years to come. The future is full of possibilities, and this achievement belongs to all of us.”

Greater Vancouver Food Bank 3454 Lougheed Highway Vancouver

Greater Vancouver Food Bank facility at 3454 Lougheed Highway, Vancouver. (Greater Vancouver Food Bank)

Greater Vancouver Food Bank facility at 3454 Lougheed Highway, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Initially on a leasing basis, the food bank moved into this 1970-built location in October 2023, which had previously been used as an auto body supplies shop.

According to BC Assessment, as of July 2024, the 39,800 sq. ft. lot — featuring a surface vehicle parking lot and a one-storey warehouse building — is assessed for $15.32 million, with $15.305 million coming from the land value and $16,000 coming from the structure value.

The purchase of the Lougheed Highway property not only relieves the food bank of the burden of juggling multiple leases and paying property taxes, but also ends years of instability marked by frequent relocations. For the first time in decades, the organization can plan for the future from a permanent home.

Bringing all operations under one roof will improve efficiency, streamline logistics, and create a safer, more welcoming environment for clients. The new facility is also expected to help retain staff and volunteers, while offering office space for partner organizations that support the food bank’s broader mission.

Conveniently located just a seven-minute walk from SkyTrain’s Rupert Station, the site is highly accessible for staff, volunteers, and the thousands of people who rely on food bank services. It will also reduce travel time, fuel costs, and wear on the organization’s fleet of refrigerated trucks.

With more than 832,000 annual visits each year through both direct distribution and partner agencies, the expanded facility provides the scale and stability needed to strengthen service delivery and better meet the region’s growing needs.

Greater Vancouver Food Bank facility at 3454 Lougheed Highway, Vancouver. (Greater Vancouver Food Bank)

This facility on Lougheed Highway features over 19,000 cu. ft. of refrigeration and over 7,000 cu. ft. of freezer space, which ensures proper storage for fresh, healthy food. This supports the food bank’s model since 2019 of providing more fresh, nutritious food, instead of the traditional reliance on processed foods. The major refrigeration equipment is a critical investment, given that perishable items now make up more than 75 per cent of the weekly menus of the people helped by the charity.

The stability of a permanent home has already enabled the GVFB to launch new initiatives. In January 2025, the organization rolled out its FRESH Start Program, which connects clients onsite with third-party partners that address the root causes of food insecurity, including housing, employment, and health.

In its first eight months, the program has achieved an 88 per cent success rate, helping break down siloed approaches to poverty reduction and offering people an integrated path toward long-term food security.

Coincidentally, new findings today released by Food Banks Canada show food insecurity in the country is now at an all-time high, with the food insecurity rate rising from 18.4 per cent to 25.5 per cent. The rate has been elevated since the peak of the pandemic; however, in more recent years, there has been rampant inflation in the cost of food and everyday goods, rising housing and living costs, and higher unemployment, especially among young people.

Over the long term, this property acquisition could also generate more value for the charity to help support its mission.

Under the City of Vancouver’s recently approved Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan, this particular Lougheed Highway site could see allowances of up to a 426 ft. tall or a 30-storey building with a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is up to 5.5 times larger than the size of the lot.

Only the non-residential uses of industrial, institutional, office, cultural, retail/service, and recreational (fitness gym) would be permitted for this site.

The food bank’s permanent home is also immediately adjacent to BC Housing’s future Skeena Terrace social housing redevelopment — where over 1,900 new homes will be built, including 230 replacement social housing units, 1,053 additional social housing units, and 641 market rental units. About 66 per cent of these homes will be offered at or below the Housing Income Limits set by BC Housing, with rents set at no more than 30 per cent of the total household income.

skeena terrace daily hive 2476 Cassiar Street vancouver bc housing 2024

2024 revised artistic rendering of Skeena Terrace. (Perkins&Will/BC Housing)

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