Kelowna's one-bag challenge a social-media success

One hour after Mayor Colin Basran issued the first one-bag challenge to five prominent Kelowna citizens Monday, a six-year-old boy named Camden walked through the doors of Central Okanagan Food Bank.

Camden was not on the mayor’s challenge list, but he delivered his donation anyway and issued the challenge to five other people. He was inspired — and so were many others.

One week later, the social-media chain reaction has inundated Lenetta Parry’s offices with donations.

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted what the video would have led to,” Parry said.

The food bank offices are still hopping, and that’s especially important in the summer when many people don’t think of donating, Perry said.

The Kelowna mayor modelled his short Facebook video after the “ice-bucket challenge.”

In the ice-bucket challenge, people would film themselves getting doused and challenge others to do the same. It was to raise awareness for the ALS Society.

Basran challenged five others to donate one bag of groceries to the food bank within 48 hours, and challenge five of their friends.

“I just kind of winged it, if you will,” the mayor said.

The mayor said he wasn’t expecting immediate success, but he’s more than pleased to learn of the uptake. The video had been viewed more than 8,000 times in five days.

“Given the success of the ice-bucket challenge, we’ve certainly seen this before,” he said. “I’m really happy to see people are stepping up.”

The food bank’s Facebook page had more than 20 videos by Friday afternoon and many other people have donated without as much fanfare. Perry said she expects there have been 200 donations in less than a week.

Your Independent Grocers has increased contributions to 10 per cent of all food bank challenge donations. If people take their receipts to customer service, the grocer will donate to the food bank.

The one-bag challenge has reached Premier Christy Clark and has spread to the Lower Mainland, Kamloops and Prince George. Sysco Kelowna — a food wholesaler — donated eight skids. Loyal Wooldridge, owner of Loyal Hair Therapy, donated from a beach in Vancouver. Ryan Lancaster challenged Michael Buble, Ryan Reynolds and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (although they had yet to accept).

The success is in the simplicity, Perry said. Anyone can donate one bag.

“It’s really inspiring to see the community embracing this challenge,” Perry said, “and being so generous. It’s heartwarming to see it.”

It’s been so successful (the challenge comes with a 48-hour time limit) that the food bank will remain open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If you can’t make it then, you can always donate online.