
Business Gives Back came back with a bang this year, raising roughly $100K for local Penticton charitable organizations after a four-year hiatus.
On Friday, Nov. 24, the room was packed at the Barking Parrot at the Penticton Lakeside Resort, as local businesspeople gathered for a live and silent auction in support of community charities.
"The Feedway Foundation wants to thank all of the businesses, all of the people who help raise funds for breakfast programs [at schools] and all the other local charities we support," said Johnny Aantjes with the Feedway Foundation.
"We really feel like it was a great event. We've had a lot of positive feedback from a lot of people. And we look forward to putting these funds to good use and feeding a lot more children and in carrying on the causes that we are involved with."
Business Gives Back was last hosted in 2019, and Aantjes is thrilled with its revitalization this year. The event raised $70K in 2019, so seeing donations around the $100K mark in 2023 is incredible.
"JCI gets ten per cent of the net, Okanagan Humane Society gets 25 per cent of the net, the Feedway Foundation gets approximately 65 per cent," Aantjes explained.
"It's all supporting local groups."
Aantjes is thankful to the Lakeside Resort and all donors who made the event a success.
"And now we look forward to the challenge of trying to do an even better job next year!"
