More than 750 individuals require assistance from the Kelowna Community Food Bank every week. Meeting this demand requires a continuing stream of contributions from the general public. The BC Thanksgiving Food Drive (BCTFD) is a province-wide initiative organized to stock local food banks with essential items for those using their resources.
“We had phenomenal success across the province last year, in total we were able to collect some 250,000 pounds of food. And we’ve set our sights even higher this year by expanding our collection routes and reaching out to additional community partners,” said Andrew Rolfson, BCTFD Executive Director.

Local BCTFD volunteers will be delivering donation bags to residential addresses in Kelowna during the second week of September. Those who receive a bag and wish to donate should simply fill it with non-perishable food items and leave it on their front step before 9:30 am on Saturday, September 15th. The bags will be picked up that day and delivered to a local donation centre.

“We anticipate having more than 6,000 volunteers throughout the province this year,” says Rolfson. “We know many people wish to help, whether by volunteering or donating food. We welcome all who wish to participate, and hope we’ll be able to surpass last year’s results.”

The Kelowna Community Food Bank relies on the support of local residents. “We can’t thank everyone enough for this amazing and timely food drive,” says Rob Weller, Operations Manager at the Kelowna Food Bank. “Last year, we received 17,000 pounds in a single day. This year, organizers  hope to double that amount. It couldn’t come at a better time as it has been a difficult couple of months; we have run out of staple items like canned fruit, soup, beans and pasta.  It’s a first in the three years that I have been here.”

To learn which non-perishable items are most needed, check out the Kelowna Community Food Bank website at www.kelownafoodbank.com . For more information on the BC Thanksgiving Food Drive, please visit bctfooddrive.org.

About the BC Thanksgiving Food Drive:
Established in 2009 as a local effort to serve those in need of food bank services in Burnaby, B.C., the BCTFD has now expanded to include dozens of partner organizations and food banks serving some 50 communities throughout the province. Its fundamental purpose is to raise material and financial support for local food banks. For more information, visit bctfooddrive.org



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