Contact our Community Support Centre:
To access Harvest Manitoba’s services, you can start by registering. This involves answering a few personal questions and providing identification for all household members. It’s a straightforward process that ensures we can best meet your needs.
Please have your Manitoba Health card ready or your student ID if you’re an international student. All members of your household should be registered using your ID number. Rest assured, we value your privacy and all information shared during the registration process is kept confidential. One of our Client Services team members will review your needs and book an appointment at a nearby food bank. Harvest Manitoba food banks are in many communities across Manitoba.
In Winnipeg:
New Clients: Call 204-982-3671
Returning Clients: Call 204-982-3660 or email appointments@harvestmanitoba.ca
Outside Winnipeg:
New and Returning Clients in Thompson: Register Online
New and Returning Clients rest of Manitoba: Call 1-800-970-5559 or email kmoore@harvestmanitoba.ca
Community Support Centre Hours:
Monday to Friday: 9:15 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Attend Your Appointment
Bring your Manitoba Health Card or International Student ID card and the ID for those registered in your file as household members. If you sign up with a temporary passcode, ensure you bring a document with your name and address (driver’s license, utility bill, rent contract, etc.).
Remember to bring a cart, wagon, suitcase with wheels, or other means to transport your food. Food hampers may contain multiple boxes (around 40 lbs.) to take home.
Be prepared to transport your box(es) of food OR repackage the food into your grocery bags to take home.
**Respect Policy**
At Harvest Manitoba, we are committed to fostering a harassment-free workplace where all employees and volunteers are treated with respect and dignity. No form of harassment or discrimination will be condoned or tolerated at Harvest Manitoba.
We expect our clients and members of the public to treat everyone at Harvest Manitoba with courtesy and respect.
Learn More about Link2FeedGuidelines for Food Shelf Life
*Formula Supply Update – Effective November 22, 2024
Our primary supplier has notified us of a temporary disruption in Good Start Stage 1 Powder Formula deliveries. We anticipate this shortage to continue through December 2024. To manage our remaining inventory responsibly the immediate changes are as follows:
- Starting Friday, November 22: Distribution will be limited to 1 container (900g) of powder formula per request.
- A shipment of Good Start Stage 2 Powder Formula is expected in late November/early December and will be distributed as a substitution. Good Start Stage 2 Formula is fully approved for infants 0-12 months. While it contains slightly higher levels of calcium and iron (beneficial for babies 6-12 months), Health Canada confirms it meets all nutritional requirements for younger infants as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m an existing client and want to update my personal information. How do I do this?
You just need to complete this online form.
You can’t book food bank appointments through the form since it’s exclusively for updating your and your household members’ personal information.
If you require a food bank appointment, contact us via email (appointments@harvestmanitoba.ca) or by phone (204-982-3660).
What if I don’t have a Manitoba Health Card or Student ID?
That’s not a problem! You can create a temporary passcode by picking the name of a fruit or vegetable and a 2 to 3-digit number, such as Apple852. Once you receive your medical card, contact us to update your information.
Why does Harvest Manitoba need my consent?
Harvest Manitoba collects and uses your personal information to manage programs, assess your eligibility for support, understand the needs of those they serve and improve services. This personal information may be shared with other agencies including Food Banks Canada and Link2Feed to provide more complete support, conduct research, eliminate duplication of efforts, or fulfil commitments to those who fund programs. Both Food Banks Canada and Harvest Manitoba obey strict standards of confidentiality when collecting, using and sharing or disclosing your personal information. If you have any questions or concerns about the privacy of your personal information, please contact Harvest Manitoba and/or Food Banks Canada.
Food Banks Canada is the only national charitable organization dedicated to helping Canadians living with hunger. We have a network of affiliated food banks and partners across Canada, which includes Provincial Associations and more than 650 food banks.
Food Banks Canada is committed to protecting the privacy and the personal information of its network, donors, employees, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. Food Banks Canada values the trust of those we deal with, and of the public, and recognizes that maintaining this trust requires that we be transparent and accountable in how we treat the personal information that you may choose to share with us.
Please know that:
- You have the right to receive a copy of the information about you that is stored in Harvest Manitoba Client Management System and/or Food Banks Canada’s Link2Feed Client Intake software.
- You have the right to correct mistakes in information about you.
- Your information may be transferred to servers in other Provinces and outside of Canada.
Our resources and ability to serve the community depend in part on the information provided by our clients.
By contacting and signing with us via email, phone or in person, you agree that Harvest Manitoba may collect, use and disclose your personal information for the purposes mentioned above. You also agree that your personal information will be entered into the Food Banks Canada’s Link2Feed Client Intake software and Harvest Manitoba’s CMS.
In applying for assistance from Harvest Manitoba on behalf of your household, and sharing information about your family or household members, you confirm that you are sharing this information with the knowledge and permission of all household members age 18 and over.
If you have questions, concerns or a complaint about how a staff member or volunteer is handling your personal information, and you cannot resolve your questions or concerns with that person directly, please email Harvest Manitoba at dswereda@harvestmanitoba.ca.
What is a Harvest Hamper?
It is a supply of 2 to 3 days’ worth of food, including fresh and nonperishable items such as canned vegetables, bread, fruit, yogurt, pasta, canned meat, soup, and other items as available.
The items in your food hamper vary due to food shortages, as Harvest Manitoba depends on food donations from corporate and retail partners, community food drives, and cash donations from the public.
If you have specific dietary needs, such as those with celiac disease, or require other items, such as diapers or baby formula, please let us know when you’re registering, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
We do our best to follow Canada’s Food Guide to provide clients with a healthy food hamper.
What is Link2Feed?
What happens if I don’t attend my food bank appointment?
If you do not attend your food bank appointment, all the fresh food allocated to you must be disposed of.
Harvest Manitoba has implemented the NO-SHOW POLICY:
If clients can’t attend their appointments, they must contact Harvest Manitoba in advance via email (appointments@harvestmanitoba.ca) or by phone (204-982-3660).
If the clients’ file at Harvest Manitoba shows more than TWO reminders regarding missed appointments, the next client’s appointment will be assigned to a different food bank location.
How often can I access a food bank appointment?
A household can attend a food bank appointment to collect their hamper once every four weeks or 28 days. Remember, all the members of one household should be registered under one ID number.
What if I can’t attend my food bank appointment?
You can authorize someone to pick up the hamper on your behalf or cancel your food bank appointment.
You can also call 2-1-1, a free, confidential, multilingual service that can connect you to resources, including food delivery options. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Can I authorize someone else to pick up my hamper?
Yes, you can authorize another person to pick up your hamper on your behalf. If you grant permission for someone else to pick it up, you must provide a letter with detailed personal information (see sample here) and a physical copy or a picture of your Manitoba Health Card.
How can I rebook a food bank appointment?
Some of our food banks work under a rebooking system: if you show up for your appointment, automatically, you are booked for your next appointment in four weeks at the same food bank. We will let you know once we book your appointment if your food bank works under that system, or you can ask at the food bank when you attend your appointment.
If you miss your rebooked appointment, your name will be removed from the list, and you must call or email to get back on the list. Please note that we are extremely full, and it may take some time to book you again at your choice’s food bank.
Try to attend your appointments or check if you can authorize someone to pick up on your behalf.
Food banks cannot book appointments; you must always contact Harvest Manitoba by email or phone to book.
How can I cancel a food bank appointment?
Contact us at 204-982-3660 or email appointments@harvestmanitoba.ca. You must cancel your food bank appointment as soon as you know you can’t attend.
Cancellations made 48 hours or less before an appointment will be considered No Show.
What should I expect when I contact Harvest Manitoba for a food bank appointment?
You can expect to be welcomed and treated with patience, understanding, dignity, and respect. You can expect a safe emotional space.
Your call, email or web form will be answered by a Client Services member who will ask for some information so we can best serve you, such as basic information about yourself and everyone in your household. First and last names and birthdays are required to reduce duplicate accounts. Most remaining questions are optional.
To register with us and book at a food bank, you must consent to storing your information on our database for future use. Your information is kept confidential. You will be asked to provide a piece of identification (e.g., a health care card) for yourself and each person in your household.
Does Harvest Manitoba accept walk-ins for registration or food bank appointments?
Yes, you may come down to register and book your appointment if you cannot access an email account or phone to connect with our Community Support Centre. Keep in mind that we do not supply hampers at our location.
We encourage clients to contact us:
In Winnipeg:
New Clients: Call 204-982-3671 or register online
Returning Clients: Call 204-982-3660 or email appointments@harvestmanitoba.ca
Outside Winnipeg:
New and Returning Clients in Thompson: register online
New and Returning Clients rest of Manitoba: Call 1-800-970-5559 or email kmoore@harvestmanitoba.ca
What is the difference between expiration date and best before date?
Best-before-date is the date until which the unopened product will retain its durable life if safely stored.
The expiry date is the date before which the quality of a product remains acceptable for its intended use. Generally, this applies to drugs, infant foods, and senior foods.
Most food has a Best Before Date, which is NOT an expiration date. For most food, the Best Before Date is used for rotating food or is a “best quality before date.”
Best-before dates are not an indicator of food safety. The manufacturer sets a “best before” date, which is about the best quality or freshness and is used for inventory purposes.
We accept food within a year of its best-before date and follow guidelines from Food Banks Canada regarding food safety.
Products with expiry dates include baby food, baby/infant formula, adult liquid meal supplements (i.e. Boost, Ensure, Glucerna, Resource, etc.), and fresh meat.
Harvest Manitoba does not accept expired food. Contact us if you have concerns or questions about the food quality in your hamper.
https://foodbankscanada.ca/best-before-or-expired-food-banks-questions-answered/
Why does Harvest Manitoba need my personal information?
We require limited personal information (which is confidential) when you register. The information collected is optional, but it is beneficial to us for strengthening programs, receiving grants, providing more comprehensive information and referrals, minimizing food wastage, effectively distributing resources to those in need, and advocating for changes to public policy.
Harvest Manitoba collects and uses your personal information to manage programs, understand the needs of those we serve and improve services. Any statistics we share with other agencies, including Food Banks Canada and Link2Feed, are anonymous (do not have any names or personal identifiers) to provide more complete support, conduct research, eliminate duplication of efforts, or fulfil commitments to those who fund programs. Both Food Banks Canada and Harvest Manitoba obey strict confidentiality standards when collecting, sharing, or disclosing your personal information.
Please know that:
- You have the right to receive a copy of the information about you that is stored in Harvest Manitoba Client Management System and/or Food Banks Canada’s Link2Feed Client Intake software.
- You have the right to correct mistakes in information about you.
- Your information may be transferred to servers in other Provinces and outside of Canada.
What if I have dietary restrictions?
We cannot guarantee the availability of products to accommodate all dietary restrictions. We are subject to the food provided to us by our donors and suppliers.
Can I call or email on behalf of someone else?
Yes, the client can authorize you to register them and book food bank appointments on their behalf. To grant permission, the client must fill out the authorization form with their personal detailed information (see sample here) and a physical copy or a picture of their MB Health Card.
Once the authorization form is at Harvest Manitoba, a note indicating the client’s consent will be placed on their file. This authorization will remain in good standing until the date written in the authorization, no longer than 24 months.
The client can remove their consent anytime by contacting Harvest Manitoba via email (appointments@harvestmanitoba.ca) or by phone (204-982-3660). If the client chooses to remove consent and then change their mind, a new Appointment Authorization Form will need to be signed.
Signing a Booking Appointment Authorization Form does not mean the person has permission to pick it up for you at the food bank. (see: Can I authorize someone else to pick up my hamper?)