Lake Country Excited to See New Food Bank Taking Shape

The official ground breaking took place at the new site of the Lake Country food bank as community groups came together on Wednesday.

(Left to Right:) Anthony Parker, Capri Insurance, Lake Country Mayor James Baker, Phyllis MacPherson LCFAS, MLA Norm Letnick, Jim Hamilton, Okanagan College, Bob Rymerchuck, Lake Country Rotary Club (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

Officials from the District of Lake Country, Aviva Insurance, Okanagan College the Rotary Club of Lake Country and the Lake Country Food Assistance Society were all on hand for the event. Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick and MP Ron Cannan were both on hand for the momentous occasion.

“It took 11,000 votes to get $100,000 and for many, many years this has been a vision of the food bank’s that this day would finally come,” exclaimed Letnick. “If it wasn’t for all these organizations coming together this would not have been a reality.”

Phyllis MacPherson (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

The building is located next to the Senior Activity Centre in Lake Country and will be built by volunteers and students from Okanagan College and School District 22. A total of 10 students from the Okanagan College Vernon Campus will be at the construction site from bare to lock up stage as well as three dual credit students from SD 22.

The two floor building will be more than 2,600 square feet in size once completed and will have been made possible by the community alone. The structure has become a reality mainly because of a contest that the group won. The Lake Country Food Bank was selected as one of the grand prize winners for the Aviva Community Fund and won $100,000 to help build the project.

Location of the new food bank located next to the Senior Activity Centre (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

Phyllis MacPherson, founder and manager of the Lake Country Food Assistance Society was overwhelmed by the support and help she has received in seeing her dream come true.

“I will keep taking your money to make this happen, every single penny counts,” said MacPherson. “Our food bank will have a permanent home, but the work is not done yet, we still have a lot to do. In my time I have moved food bank locations three times. Three times. I hope this is the last time.”

Construction has begun on the new community food bank (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

MacPherson has been working tirelessly with the Society for more than 30 years and has been helping individuals and families in need.

Not only will the community benefit from the new food bank but the students involved with the construction as well. The 13 students on the job site will get hands on training for 16 weeks as well as course credit. Construction has already begun and Lake Country Mayor James Baker is hopeful the doors will be open before Christmas time.

Phyllis MacPherson and Norm Letnick speaking to one of the students working on the project (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

The food bank's current location is in the cramped basement of the 100-year-old Winfield Elementary School. The volunteers running the program only have 800 square feet of working space, which is so small that their clients have to wait outside in all sorts of weather to be served.