File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Connor Gunn

FOOD DRIVE

Locals encouraged to donate to Spring Rotary Food Drive Saturday

Apr 29, 2022 | 4:02 PM

KAMLOOPS — Saturday, April 30 is the annual Spring Rotary Food Drive at the Kamloops Food Bank where locals are encouraged to join in on the fun and lend a helping hand.

Each event collects, on average, nearly 60,000 pounds of food — and with the event happening twice a year, that means more than 100,000 pounds of food is collected each year.

Director of warehouse operations with the Kamloops Food Bank, Wes Graham, says this is a great way to give back to the community.

“The support is you know why we’re here doing this, being able to have an outlet for people that want to give back to their community and then being able to pass that on to those in need is why we’re here,” Graham told CFJC Today. “This Rotary Food Drive really just shows how supportive and how fantastic this community is.”

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Graham adds that right now is the perfect time to donate.

“In the spring is when we start to get really low on our inventory. The Christmas donations and generosity — they come in and they really prop us up and continue providing our service through January, February, March, and all the way through April that sets us up through the summer months.”

Many residents in Kamloops will see the Rotary Club Food Drive yellow bags in their mailboxes with a list of the 10 recommended foods to donate.

Stephen Karpuk with the Aurora Rotary Club notes that the cause gets people active through the help of generous individuals.

“On a whole we get a big coverage of the area and it’s a lot of work,” said Karpuk. “It’s an incredible activity and beehive of activity when you’re down there on Saturday morning and it’s really heartening to see everybody stepping up not only by filling these bags so we can collect that but everyone down at the food bank and just receiving all of that goodness that people have been with their pocketbooks helping us out.”

Those looking to donate can leave a bag full of food or individual items at their doorstep or near the end of their driveway before being picked up at 9:00 a.m. Saturday.