9th annual BC Thanksgiving Food Drive garners tremendous support

If you’re driving down Enterprise Way this afternoon, you may notice it’s a bit busier than usual — that’s because the Central Okanagan Food Bank is welcoming dozens of food-filled vehicles for the annual BC Thanksgiving Food Drive.

“We started earlier this week, dropping off informative leaflets at homes across the city, and now all morning volunteers have been dropping off bags of food they have collected,” said Gordon Oliver, volunteer public affairs director for the event.

The food drive was created as a way to replenish the shelves of food banks across the province, following back to school time and ahead of Thanksgiving, a critical time of year for those who utilize the facility.

“The summertime is always quite difficult for us to collect food and we know that once kids go back to school, the dollars stretched from a household is quite large,” said Tammie Watson, interim executive director of the Central Okanagan Food Bank.

“We do this so families can ensure they have supplies during this busy time of year, and so regulars can have something a bit special ahead of Thanksgiving,” added Oliver.

Starting at 10 am, the donations began flooding in and by 11:30 am large bins were already filled to the brim, a sight Watson describes as “tear-jerking.”

“It is unbelievable to see so many people come together and to see how much food is coming through the doors,” she said.

“We are just so incredibly thankful that everyone involved in the BC Thanksgiving Food Drive actually thinks of us and our clients.”

David Burgess, one of the organizers of the Kelowna food drive, has spent his morning collecting donations and working closely with the volunteers, an experience he says has made his “heart glow.”

“We should not have anyone in our community without food and It has been really heartwarming to see the support from the community,” he said. “People are kind, generous and all want to help.”

Volunteer Jeff Barnett and his team from Orchard Chiropractic and Physiotherapy are frequent helpers at the Thanksgiving Food Drive, having lent a hand for five years in a row.

“We figure this is an opportunity for our team to give back to the community, we can see there is a need out there,” said Barnett.

“This time of year is hard for families who may be struggling, especially because this is when we are supposed to give thanks, we want to help the people near us and we have the ability to so we will.”

Thankfully the event is already at capacity for volunteers today, however, the food bank will always graciously accept donations.

Stop by the facility at 2310 Enterprise Way to deliver non-perishable food items or visit them online!