“We need it”: Kamloops Food Bank shelves stocked by Fall Rotary Food Drive windfall

KAMLOOPS — The Fall Rotary Food Drive has come and gone yet again and on Saturday (Sept. 24) volunteers helped bring in thousands of pounds of food for the Kamloops Food Bank.

“Our first food drive brought in 15,000 pounds of food and we were delighted. We’ve grown this event to bring in about 60,000 pounds — which is 30 tonnes — in one day, which is an incredible amount of food,” says Executive Director Bernadette Siracky.

In the event’s 14th year, hundreds of volunteers make the operation possible by driving the trucks, sorting the food and doing the heavy lifting.

The food brought in by the drive is set to stock the food bank’s shelves for 3-to-4 months.

“We need it. We absolutely need it and this food is (coming in) the perfect time of year for us for our shelves where we’re needing it. It’s awesome to see this product come in,” says warehouse director Wes Graham.

Renee Spence and Cindy Kozak-Campbell have assisted the food drive for over five years, and are always blown away by the community support.

“Well, if you want to see a community come together and do good things, this is the day — be right here. To witness the generosity of this community is really something special,” says Spence.

“It’s wonderful to see the food security that happens in Kamloops — the ability to make sure people aren’t going hungry,” Kozak-Campbell adds.

An influx of new clients to the food bank makes the food drive even more vital right now for Kamloopsians. Siracky says there has been a 70 per cent increase in clients.

“We really are seeing our numbers increase. This food is absolutely critical to fill our shelves and we’re having a lot of fun doing it today!”

The Fall Rotary Food Drive was a success once again, Siracky says, and the food collected at the Kamloops Food Bank will help anyone in need no matter the circumstances.