File photo (Image credit: CFJC Today).
Fall Food Drive Assistance Needed

Kamloops Food Bank seeking help in distributing Fall Food Drive bags amid commercial flyer delivery ban

Sep 15, 2025 | 8:24 AM

KAMLOOPS — Job action from the union representing Canada Post workers has the Kamloops Food Bank pivoting and asking for the community’s support ahead of its Fall Food Drive.

On Friday (Sept. 12), the Canadian Union of Postal Workers announced it would have members stop delivering commercial flyers as of Monday to get Canada Post to resume negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, rather than an overtime ban.

In an email to CFJC Today, Kamloops Food Bank President and CEO Bernadette Siracky says their Rotary food drive paper bags are considered flyers. The bags were scheduled to be delivered Monday (Sept. 15) ahead of the Fall Food Drive on Saturday, Sept. 20.

In a news release issued Monday (Sept. 15), the Kamloops Food Bank says its employees picked up all 33,000 bags from Canada Post on Friday and worked throughout the weekend to create a communications and operational strategy to deliver the bags to all detached homes and duplexes in Kamloops.

“This is an urgent ask from our community and we need their help. We know Kamloops has always stepped up in times of need,” Siracky says. “This is a community effort, and every bag delivered brings hope and nourishment to families who rely on us.”

The food bank says distributing the food drive bags ahead of time before collecting them is an overwhelming task on short notice. It is asking residents to volunteer to pick up bags and deliver them to neighbourhoods in the city.

The food bank notes that a mapping system is in place to limit the number of pickups in each section of Kamloops to less than 400 houses per map.

Residents interested in volunteering can contact the food bank at info@kamloopsfoodbank.org or 250-376-2252. Food drive bags can be picked up between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

The food bank says the Fall Food Drives bring in an average of 50,000 lbs of food. Without the food drive, the food bank says the reserves of non-perishable food will be depleted over the winter.