Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

ROTARY FALL FOOD DRIVE

Kamloops Food Bank prepares for distribution after food-drive success

Sep 22, 2025 | 5:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — The shelves at the Kamloops Food Bank are well-stocked after this past weekend’s food drive.

A record-breaking 75,000 pounds of food was collected for the non-profit organization on Saturday during the bi-annual Rotary Food Drive.

The strong turnout came after hundreds of volunteers hit the pavement to make sure donation bags were delivered to residents.

“We received twice as much food as the spring food drive and we needed it,” executive director Bernadette Siracky said. “So thank you Kamloops for hearing our call and for coming out in droves to support us.”

The influx followed a plea from the food bank to get 32,000 donation bags delivered to homes in the city, when the usual postal delivery wasn’t available.

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“People were coming in unannounced, they were emailing us, they were saying ‘we want to help, give us some bags, we will get them out for you.’ And did they ever,” Siracky said.

“There was a lot of social media going on and people were really invested in this food drive in a way that I haven’t seen in years.”

Volunteers such as Renee Spence note the quantity of food and quality of items donated was impressive.

“It was generousity with a spirit of working together, helping others,” Spence said.

More than 700 boxes worth of food and essentials are ready to be sorted and distributed to supply the 4,000 visits the Kamloops Food Bank location has on average every month.

“Just good spirit for what happened,” Spence said. “It’s carrying on through the weekend and into today, so now we’re anxious to get it all sorted and get it ready for families.”