Oceanside Community Church has been partnering with Nanaimo Foodshare’s Good Food Program for the past few years to offer affordable fresh fruit and vegetables to our community once a week at a reduced cost. Generally, 7-8 different items are in each bag, such as apples, potatoes, cucumbers, oranges, and seasonal produce. While the produce could cost up to $25 - $30 in a store, participants pay only $15.
$5 bags are back!
Oceanside Community Church is once again partnering with Nanaimo Foodshare to offer the Oceanside Area fruit and veggie bags at a reduced cost of $5.
Who is this for? - Anyone! This initiative is meant to provide fresh healthy food to all types of households, expand the awareness of Nanaimo Foodshare's "Good Food Box" program, support food security and agriculture in BC, provide financial relief during a time of inflation, and help Oceanside Community Church in our mission to serve and impact the surrounding community.
How does it work? - Participants purchase a subscription on the Oceanside Community Church website. Pick up your bag at the church on your designated Thursday (twice a month) between 2:30pm and 4:00pm. The subscription period runs from May - July 2026. Delivery of bags is unavailable at this time.
What do you get? - A $25+ value of produce for just $5! In total, you will receive roughly $150 worth of fruits and veggies provided through Nanaimo Foodshare over a 12-week period. (One bag every 2 weeks) Periodic gifted extras (such as protein options) may be provided by Oceanside Community Church.
What do you pay? - A one time $30 subscription fee for 6 bags of fresh produce over a 12-week period. Payment can be made online via credit card by clicking the link below. If credit card payment is a barrier, a limited number of spots are eligible for alternate forms of payment. (Please send a message to goodfood@oceansidecc.ca for more information about alternate payment methods)
Please Note: Subscriptions are limited to 1 bag per family. In order to maintain the feasability of the program due to the subsidy being provided, the program subscription fee is non-refundable once the program is under way. Any unclaimed bags will be donated within the community at the end of each Thursday.
Order Your Oceanside Good Food Box Today!
Volunteers Needed!
To volunteer to drive or to distribute (both on Thursdays), talk to Jennah.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
How does the program and subsidy work?
The bag contents are ordered in bulk and packaged by Nanaimo foodshare. Oceanside Community Church purchases Good food bags from Nanaimo foodshare at a cost of $15 and passes them onto the community for $5.
Oceanside volunteers pick them up in Nanaimo, and the church hosts distribution. Our volunteers love to welcome patrons with fresh coffee and popcorn, and often have other food items to gift.
Why are we doing this?
We love to welcome and serve with Christ driven hospitality! We believe scripture calls us to provide healthy food, generosity, and friendship to our community. Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Why is it every two weeks when it used to be weekly?
With a high demand for the $5 bag, the abundance of summer growing season, the bags having more than enough to last many homes longer than a week, and summer schedules being less predictable, we thought it was a great time to impact more households! We also want to make it more affordable by trialing a twice a month rotation. The change will allow 100 households to participate at a cost of only $10 a month!
What’s in the bags? - The bags are influenced by the growing season and what is the best value that week, but usually contain a handful of potatoes, a couple of onions, and a leafy green such as lettuce/chard/spinach. There is weekly variety with additional items like zucchini, cucumber, grapefruit, strawberries, cabbage, beets, squash, apples or oranges.
I can’t make the pick-up time work for my schedule. Can I still take part somehow? - Due to volunteer staffing requirements, bags must be picked-up by 4:00 on Thursdays. If you are unable to pick-up between 2:30pm and 4:00pm, we would suggest arranging for someone else to pick up your bag for you.
What happens if I don't pick up my bag? - Any unclaimed bags are donated within the community to reduce food waste.
Can you deliver to my home? - We are currently unable to offer delivery, but regularly priced bags purchased through Nanaimo Foodshare still have a delivery option. These gags can be ordered directly through the Nanaimo Foodshare website anytime for $15. Tell a friend!