By Vanessa Ybarra

30 tonnes of food expected to be collected in Kamloops Rotary Food Drive

Apr 21, 2017 | 5:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — The 18th Rotary Food Drive takes place tomorrow.

Twice a year, Kamloops Rotary members canvass the city collecting non-perishable food items and other goods to help re-stock the shelves of the Kamloops food bank.

The number of clients accessing the food bank is showing no sign of slowing down, with the food drive remaining one of the organization’s most important events.

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Come Saturday afternoon, 1,300 boxes are expected to be filled with non-perishable food.

“We start out tomorrow morning, with Rotarians having a pancake breakfast,” said Bernadette Siracky, Executive Director with the Kamloops Food Bank. “We then give them maps for certain parts of the city. They go out and collect the bags that Kamloopsians leave out in the morning.”

The Kamloops Rotary Food Drive has become a staple in the city.

Twice a year, Kamloops This week, and most recently Save-On-Foods, Safeway, and Independent Grocer distribute bags to residents a few weeks before the event, giving homeowners plenty of time to stuff with them food.

“We collect pet food, baby food, soup, tuna,” said Siracky. “Non-perishable items are preferable for us. Then, 30 tonnes of that food comes back to us. It is absolutely stunning to see that much food collected in one day.” 

More than 100 members from Kamloops Rotary Clubs are taking part in this year’s spring pick-up.

For them, giving up a Saturday morning is rewarding.

“The food bank does an amazing amount of work work from a social perspective,” said Cameron Rauschenberger, Public Relations Director with the Rotary Club of Kamloops. 

“It’s also being able to re-use a lot of food. Every way you look at it, it’s a great, great program.”

Wes Graham is one of hundreds of food bank workers and volunteers who sort the tonnes of food rotary members collect from throughout the city.

“60-thousand pounds of food,” said Graham.

“It seems like chaos but there’s such a beautiful system in place. We have repeat volunteers that come back and know our process so it just gets easier and easier.”

With around seven-thousand people accessing the Kamloops Food Bank, organizers say every item collected in this weekend’s food drive is put to good use.

“We send orders to ten different schools in the district for breakfast and lunch programs. Wwe have families that come in every week for food,” added Graham. “There’s so many stories.” 

“It’s edging up slightly more every year,” said Siracky. “It’s unfortunate but we really are a reflection of what’s going on in our economy.They need our support and I’m really glad that we’re able to provide food while we’re figuring out longer-term solutions.”

Residents are asked to have their donated bags out by 9 a.m. on Saturday.