Community gives generously to SIFE’s Trick or Eat

Okanagan College Media Release

In a new valley-wide campaign to battle hunger, students from Okanagan College’s SIFE Okanagan collected 1,434 pounds of food for local Food Banks during a one-day Halloween food drive - Trick or Eat.

The SIFE students, whose mission is to create positive economic, environmental and social change in the Okanagan Valley, came up with the Trick or Eat food drive as part of their involvement in the Campbell’s Soup Let’s Can Hunger initiative. SIFE Okanagan won the Campbell’s Soup challenge last year and was recognized as the country’s top post-secondary institution at the national competition.

Campbell’s Soup challenged Canada’s SIFE teams to collectively raise 100,000 pounds of food for local Food Banks across the country. Okanagan College’s team collected more than 36,000 pounds on its own – more than a third of the national goal.

As national reigning champions of the Let’s Can Hunger project, SIFE Okanagan leaders Aman Sandhu and Jessica Zucchi organized teams of students in Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton, along with support from The Juice 103.9, and went door to door collecting non-perishable items.

“This was the first Trick or Eat event for SIFE Okanagan and it was a huge success,” said Sandhu. “We worked with the local food bank staff to target specific neighbourhoods where we know residents are most giving. We knocked on doors and nearly everyone we asked gave very generously.”

The students approached SHAW and Campbell’s -- who are currently running a Fill the Food Bank campaign as part of their Together is Amazing initiative -- with their total and both organizations matched the donations, tripling the amount of food collected for a total of 4,302 pounds.

All food items collected have been donated to their respective Food Banks in the communities of Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton. SIFE Okanagan is now planning for their next major fundraisers – a charity hunger gala on Feb. 4 at Okanagan College and Canstruction Kelowna, an event designed to help end hunger one can at a time.

SIFE joined partners Rotary International, The Salvation Army and the Kelowna Food Bank in Canstruction Kelowna and is encouraging people to take part in the event by designing and building a structure out of canned food – all designs will be on display at the Orchard Park Mall from Feb. 8 – 13. The canned food will be donated to the Kelowna Community Food Bank and the Salvation Army.