Food
Free or low cost food & meals
Community Hot Meals
St James United Church hosts a Community Hot Meal in the church Hall every Tuesday and Thursday from September til June. The meal is prepared on-site by volunteer groups. There is no cost to attend and donations are not solicited. All welcome. Most dietary accommodations can be met (ex. vegan, lactose free, gluten-free).
Community Hot Meal
Tuesdays & Thursdays (Sept-June)
Tuesdays (Summer)
Doors: 10:00am
Meal: 11:00am - 12:00pm
197 Main St. (at Church St) ♿️ 🚌
The Community Fridge is partnered with the Soup Gathering. Each Sunday a hearty soup is prepared in the multi-purpose room of the Farmers Marker Building and served for free to anyone who joins from 12:00pm-1:00pm
Soup is portoined and distributed to the community refridgerators for pick-up through the week.
Note: Group may pause for the summer
Community Soup Gathering
Sundays: 12:00pm-1:00pm
20 Exhibition Lane, Famers Market Building ♿️ 🚌
Open Kitchen StFX is a student group who started the project at St. Ninian Place. They are in the beginning stages - find out about affordable meals on Facebook. Right now, they are making annoucements on Ask Antigonish (public group).
Open Kitchen StFX
Irregualar: Find info on Ask Antigonish Facebook group
St. Ninian's Place
121 St. Ninian Street ♿️ 🚌
Food Banks
The Food Bank provides 3-5 days worth of food. How much you get depends on how many people you need to feed. You are allowed to pick up food every 3 weeks.
A pick-up typically contains: mixed box of dry and canned goods, dairy bag, produce bag, meat. Other items are available or by request. You will get 2-4 bags of food. Delivery is not provided.
You may send one person to pick up your food for you if you cannot go yourself - but they must have a piece of your ID with them.
👉Note: You’ll need to register on your first visit with one piece of valid ID for each person in your household and, when possible, a piece of mail with your name and home address on it. This is needed because funding is based on how many people use the service.
If you don’t have a fixed address, call FEED Nova Scotia at (902) 457-1900.
You can preview the forms here:
🚐The Food Bank is not accessible by bus. The Food Bank offers no transportation assistance. You must arrange your own way home.
Antigonish Community Food Bank
Tuesday: 9:00am - 11:00am
Thursday: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
166 College St. ♿️
👉 The Food Bank has a pantry available 24/7 that usually has free dented or out of date tinned items; baby foods; coffee; international foods and seasonal produce.
During the school year St.F.X. students can access the campus food bank once a week.
Kevin's Corner Food Resource Centre
Monday - Wednesday, Friday: 12:00pm — 6:00pm
Thursday 7:00pm — 10:00pm
4500 Alumni Cres. ♿️
The Antigonish Farmers' Market hosts a Community Fridge and Pantry. You can take what you need, and leave what you can to share with others. The fridge and pantry are available 24/7 to anyone in need.
The pantry is supported by The Open Kitchen, Sodexo and community members' donations.
Antigonish Community Food Bank and Pantry
24/7 Outdoor Access
Instagram & Facebook: @antigonishcommunityfridge
20 Exhibition Ln, Antigonish ♿️ 🚌
(Farmers Market Building off James St. Next to Arena)
The Antigonish Peoples' Place Library hosts a food pantry and fridge. Take what you need.
The selection will always be different. When in season, you may find fresh produce alongside tinned foods.
There may also be spices, hygiene items, household goods and other products available as well.
The pantry is supported by The Open Kitchen, Sodexo and community members' donations.
Free feminine hygiene products are available in the washrooms.
Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library
Monday, Friday, Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
283 Main St. ♿️ 🚌
St. Martha's Regional Hospital hosts a food pantry and fridge on the bottom floor (Floor 1, down one floor from the Main floor where the entrance is). Take what you need.
The selection will always be different. When in season, you may find fresh produce alongside tinned foods.
There may also be spices, hygiene items, household goods and other products available as well.
St. Martha's Regional Hospital
24/7
283 Main St. ♿️ 🚌
The Havre Boucher Community Centre hosts a food pantry and fridge. Take what you need.
The selection will always be different. When in season, you may find fresh produce alongside tinned foods.
Havre Boucher Community Fridge & Pantry
24/7 Outdoor Access
12402 Hwy 4 ♿️
Havre Boucher (Havre Boucher Community Centre)
Money for food
Emergency Income Assistance
If you have no food, Emergency Income Assistance through Community Services can offer access to money and support.
Speak directly to your caseworker to discuss your needs.
👉You must have photo ID, your tax assessment from the previous year, and proof of need (bank statements) to apply for help from Community Services.
Department of Community Services
Antigonish Office:
General Inquiries:
229 Main St. Second Floor ♿️ 🚌
(there is an elevator)
Emergency food gift certificates
These organizations may be able to give you a gift certificate for a local restaurant or grocery store.
👉Note: What kinds of gift cards and *if* they are available varies.
St James United Church
Monday - Friday: 10:00am - 1:00pm
197 Main St (at Church)
Wheelchair access through Main St entrances ♿️ 🚌
Make an appointment with a Women's Support Worker, who can help you connect with and apply for financial assistance.
Antigonish Women's Centre
Monday - Thursday: 9:00am - 4:30pm
Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm
219 Main St (Kirk Building) 2nd Floor ♿️ 🚌
Discounted food
You can get discounted groceries in-store:
Sobeys marks down products that are nearing expiry. They don't put discounted items together in one place, so you have to be alert and look for the black and orange stickers.
Seafood and meat are most often discounted at 30% off.
Sobeys
Monday - Sunday: 7:00am - 10:00pm
151 Church St ♿️ 🚌
Atlantic Superstore marks down products across the store. Some items are on the shelves or in the coolers, while others are displayed in a discount area. They use pink stickers to mark items 30% off (meats) or 50% off (everything else)
Produce: Cooler items are tagged and left in the cooler. Items are usually bagged and sold in bulk. Other produce, like tomatoes or fruits, are bagged and put on a metal rack near the bulk bins.
Bread: Discount bread is put on a rack by the bakery department.
Meat: Seafood and meat are marked down and left in the coolers.
Dairy: yogurt, and other dairy products are marked down and left in their coolers.
Dry goods: Beans, noodles, cereal, spices, etc. are usually tagged and placed in shopping carts that are either on the second floor near the bathrooms, or at the end of the cashier lanes.
Personal items: clothing, shoes, and hygiene items are also placed in shopping carts upstairs or by the tills.
Atlantic Superstore
Monday - Sunday: 7:00am - 10:00pm
26 Market St ♿️ 🚌
Atlantic Superstore also offers discounted products through an app called Flashfood.
Download the app for iPhone or Android
You must set up an account, then you can use the app to buy discounted food. with a credit card. Pick up your order within 24 hours in the Flashfood freezers near the customer service desk.
Detailed instructions are given in-app.
Atlantic Superstore
Monday - Sunday: 7:00am - 10:00pm
26 Market St ♿️ 🚌
You can get discounted bananas:
Needs Convenience marks down overripe bananas at 50% off.
Needs Convenience
Open 24/7
23 James St ♿️ 🚌
MacKinnons Pharmasave marks down overripe bananas at 50% off, day-old bread will be marked down by 25%.
Pharmacy and other items that are close to expiry or end of season can be found marked down in bins.
MacKinnons Pharmasave
Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday and Holidays: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
243 Main St ♿️ 🚌
You can get discounted prepared meals and baked goods:
Downtown Convenience marks down Gabrieau's products by up to 50% off when they near expiry. The selection varies. They sell salads, sandwiches, pastas, soups, pastries and cookies.
Downtown Convenience
Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 7:00pm
237 Main St 🚌
S&L Bakery is inside Hawthorne Convenience (sometimes still called Brendans Fairway).
Breads, rolls, and other baked good are marked down to 50% on Mondays. The rest of the week day-old items are marked down 20% off.
S&L Bakery
Monday - Friday: 6:00am - 10:00pm
Saturday - Sunday: 7:00am - 10:00pm
201 Hawthorne St 🚌
Justamere Bakery is in the Claymore Inn's hotel restaurant. Use the front entrance facing Access Nova Scotia for the bakery (the side door facing the mall is for dining in)
Breads, rolls, and other baked good are marked down to 50% after two days. Day-olds are 30% off.
All marked down breads are on a metal rack next to the payment window, there are marked down desserts inside (usually in the mornings)
Justamere Bakery
Monday - Wednesday: 7:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday - Saturday: 7:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday: 8:00am - 3:00pm
137 Church St ♿️ 🚌
Grow your own food
You can have access to a free community garden box where you can grow your own food. Contact the Antigonish Women's Centre for more information. You do not have to be a woman to use a garden box.
Antigonish Community Garden Boxes
Spring - Fall
Antigonish Women's Centre
Monday - Thursday: 9:00am - 4:30am
Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm
219 Main St (2nd Floor) ♿️ 🚌
More help and support
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Fill out a simple, confidential survey to see what government benefits you are eligible for, with links to applications.
The regional library’s website has a directory of services and collections of brochures on subjects including:
The Health & Wellness section, in particular, has multiple links to information on subjects as wide-ranging as Affordable Housing to Grief to Diabetes.