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South Okanagan food drive hopes to fill the bank

Volunteers are needed to assist with the B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive that happens the week of Sept. 13 - 20.
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Project co-ordinator Reg Petrie (right) of the Salvation Army and co-organizer Dan Kane of the B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive fill one of the Marketplace IGA bags with goods in preparation for the Sept. 13-20 event. This is the third year for the food drive which helps those in need locally.

Volunteers are needed to assist with the B.C. Thanksgiving Food Drive that happens the week of Sept. 13 - 20.

Proceeds from the province-wide event will benefit local Salvation Army Food Banks. Dan Kane, who is one of those helping co-ordinate the food drive said it’s the third year for the event.

He noted the event started locally when some church groups approached the Salvation Army and asked what it could do to help gather more food to benefit those in need in the community.

“It’s clear that the Salvation Army Food Bank is a really vital piece of our community,” said Kane, adding that September is a month where money is tight for many families particularly with the start of a new school year and expenses for school supplies and clothing.

Now in its third year of operating, the food drive has been able to collect more donations each year.

In Penticton, the goal is to drop off a food bag at every residence in the city on Wednesday, Sept. 17. The outlying areas of Kaleden and Okanagan Falls will receive a bag in the mail. All of the bags — approximately 12,000 — are being donated courtesy of local Marketplace IGA stores. Each bag will have a flyer attached that instructs people as to the kinds of foods the Salvation Army Food Bank needs most.

On Saturday, Sept. 20, volunteers teams will be assigned a pick up route to collect bags, which will then be delivered to the Salvation Army Food Bank. Teams will be on hand to help unload, weigh, sort and shelve the food. People are asked to check expiry dates before making a donation.

A similar process will be used in Okanagan Falls but the bags and flyer are mailed out and the local IGA is used as the collection point for the weigh in. Similar food drives are taking place in most of the major urban areas of B.C. on Sept. 20.

Kane said individuals or community organizations wanting to volunteer their time can call him at 250-328-8151.