Help arrives from VancouverRob Gibson – Aug 13, 2026 / 1:47 pm | Story: 627933
Photo: Greater Vancouver Food Bank
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is waiving ID requirements and expanding support for Okanagan wildfire evacuees who have relocated to the Lower Mainland, while also sending food supplies directly to the region.
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is lending a helping hand to support people displaced by wildfires burning across the Okanagan region.
The organization is temporarily expanding its capacity to help evacuees who have relocated to Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and the North Shore, while also working with partners in the Okanagan to determine how it can support affected communities directly.
Since the wildfires began, the food bank says it has seen a rise in requests from displaced individuals and families, including some who lost their homes and were forced to leave quickly without being able to retrieve identification or proof of address.
To remove those barriers, the food bank has introduced temporary registration for up to six months, waiving its usual ID and proof-of-address requirements for those unable to provide them because of the wildfires.
“We have been heartbroken watching families across the Okanagan region leave their homes, sometimes with only what they could carry. When a crisis hits one part of B.C., the rest of us have a responsibility to respond,” says David Long, CEO, Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
The food bank is also sending support directly to the Okanagan, with a full truckload of donated and purchased food items delivered to regional partners for wildfire evacuees. The organization says it remains in contact with those partners to track how needs are evolving.
“Help is needed now, and we will do everything we can within our means while maintaining our commitment to the communities that rely on us every day,” says Long.