Raphael House: Langley's family food hub

Raphael House is a registered charity in downtown Langley City that hands out a week’s worth of groceries to families with children. It isn’t a drop-in food bank: families register, get a regular pick-up time, and come back every week. More than 400 families go through its Food Hub each week, from more than 65 countries, and over 150 volunteers keep it running.

If you landed here because you’re trying to feed your kids this week, skip to how to register. If you’re here to help, that part’s further down.

Can my family use it?

Probably, if you live in Langley. The Food Hub page sets out two conditions: you live in Langley (City or Township) or within School District 35, and you have at least one child under 18 at home. You stay eligible until you move out of Langley or your youngest finishes high school.

The rule to know about is attendance: miss two weeks in a row without letting them know and you can lose your spot. If that happens, you can ask to go back on the waitlist. So if you’re sick or away, send a quick email first.

Single adults and couples without kids aren’t who Raphael House is set up for. The Langley Food Bank and where to get help page covers the options for everyone else, including the free community lunch at Gateway of Hope.

How to register

Email [email protected] or phone 604-900-3787 during office hours (weekdays, 8 to 4). There’s no online form on the Food Hub page; you start by getting in touch, and they set you up with a pick-up slot. Slots are confirmed month by month.

There can be a wait. Back in late 2023, when the hub was serving about 270 families a week, more than 100 more were on its waitlist, according to the Langley Local Immigration Partnership. The current wait isn’t posted, so ask when you get in touch, and get your name in early rather than waiting until the cupboard’s bare.

What’s in a week’s groceries

It changes with whatever has been donated, so no two weeks look the same. The Food Hub lists the usual mix as:

• fresh produce
• pantry staples
• dairy
• meat or other protein
• bread
• cooking basics
• baby supplies when they have them

They try to have kosher, halal and vegetarian options, but say plainly that it depends on the week.

Getting there and parking

The hub is on the north side of Douglas Crescent between 204 and 205 Streets, a block south of Fraser Highway and a short walk from Douglas Park. Raphael House asks families to park on Douglas Crescent, the side streets or at Douglas Park, and not on Fuller Lane behind the building or in the Alano Club lot next door.

How to help

Volunteer. Raphael House lists three kinds of jobs: food recovery (collecting donated food and supplies for the week’s distribution), Food Hub shifts during pick-up hours (sorting, welcoming families, handing out groceries) and helping with or leading weekly family programs, with training provided. Weekly or now-and-then both work. Sign up through the form on the volunteer page. Many of the volunteers are families who once picked up groceries themselves. Since October 2026 the Langley Rivermen have been there every week too (our story on that).

Donate food. The most-needed list on the donate page, as of this check:

• fresh produce: apples, oranges, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, red peppers, potatoes, white onions
• diapers and wipes, especially sizes 4, 5 and 6
• Enfamil baby formula, ready-made or powder
• dry goods: cereal, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, soup, canned food
• toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, hygiene and grooming items
• jam, honey, peanut butter, salad dressing, cooking oil
• meat of any kind, halal especially

Drop-off times for food aren’t posted on the site, so email or phone before you bring it over.

Give money. One-time and monthly gifts go through the donate page. It’s a registered charity, so ask them about a tax receipt.

Businesses, farms and churches can sign on as ongoing partners through the partners page. It’s also a member of the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce.

From a school gym to Douglas Crescent

The story starts in March 2020. When COVID closed Langley’s schools, the programs that quietly fed a lot of kids (Breakfast Club, grab-and-go lunches, the weekend Fuel Bags) stopped with them. In July 2020, staff at Douglas Park Elementary, led by Kim Langford, teamed up with Sources to run a mobile food bank out of the school gym twice a week. Word spread across Langley City fast.

By the time school was about to start again, the gym was needed back and the program had outgrown it anyway. It moved to Douglas Recreation Centre, with help from CLA and Southgate churches, the school district, Sources and local businesses. Borrowed public space wasn’t going to work forever, though, and in July 2021 the hub opened in its own building on Douglas Crescent. That’s also when the name changed from Raphael Family Support Centre to Raphael House. Founder Vickie Funk told the Langley Local Immigration Partnership that she and her husband committed to funding it for its first 18 months. It became a registered charity in October 2022.

A few markers since:

• December 2023: its first Santa Workshop, run with Southgate Church, let registered families pick out free gifts. About 600 toys were donated and $24,000 raised over four weeks.
• 2023 to 2026: weekly numbers climbed from about 60 families at the very start to roughly 270 by late 2023 and more than 400 today. A growing share are newcomers, including refugees from Afghanistan, Latin America, Nigeria and Ukraine.
• Summer 2026: a grant from the Beem Foundation (the credit union’s charitable arm) toward food and essentials.
• October 2026: marking five years, Raphael House said its three fundraising events had brought in $630,000, and the Rivermen signed on as weekly volunteers.

Who runs it

Raphael House was founded by Mark and Vickie Funk. Day to day it’s run by managing director Scott Thiessen and a small staff, with a volunteer board chaired by Ian Thomas. The full list is on the board and staff page.

More places that help: our charities and galas guide and the volunteering guide.

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