West Kelowna firefighters hoping to match last year’s record food drive

The Central Okanagan Food Bank received a large, helping hand this week, thanks to the work of many hands from West Kelowna Fire Rescue.

Earlier this week, firefighters in West Kelowna went door-to-door, asking residents for food donations.

Currently in its 26th year, this year’s food drive is expected to meet last year’s record-setting food drive, which collected more than 15,000 pounds of food.

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“They were super generous,” said WKFR Insp. Dave Mitchell. “We were going around to people’s door you could hear them inside emptying their pantries and just giving whatever they could. So it’s tough times for everybody, but the giving spirit is definitely still alive here in West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation.”

The food bank is calling it a huge boost at a time when it’s seeing an unprecedented demand for help.

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“The need in West Kelowna has grown significantly since last year,” said Kathleen Alexander of the Central Okanagan Food Bank. “There are about 1,000 Christmas hampers being put together for families in need. That’s more than a 50 per cent increase from a year ago.”

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Noting the food bank is seeing a surge in first-time users, Alexander continued, saying “people are struggling a lot. The phrase we hear all the time is ‘I never thought I would find myself in this position, usually I’m the one that’s giving.’

“(It’s also) seniors who have a tremendous amount of pride, feeling like they just can’t make ends meet on a fixed income. And it’s very difficult for them, with all of their pride, to come and ask for help.”

Firefighters also raised $3,355 in donations, which the food bank estimated to be worth $10,000 in buying power.

“We have bins outside (the firehalls) where people can come by drop off donations,” said Mitchell. “We’re accepting cash donations as well online.”

Mitchell noted that feedback from the community has been very positive.

“The need is always there,” said Mitchell. “Our community was hit pretty hard this year. You look at a lot of the things going on in the world and people just don’t have the funds that they did in years prior. So we’d like to team up with the community and help those that really need it. We’ve been doing it for 26 years and we’re gonna keep doing it as long as we can.”