Annual food drive coming

Photo: Colton Davies

Volunteers (from left to right) Dan Kane, Eldon Smith, Carolyn Smith and Traudi Kane handing out bags and instruction flyers ahead of Saturday's B.C. Thanksgiving food drive.

The annual B.C. Thanksgiving food drive will be taking place across the province on Saturday.

Volunteers are going door-to-door handing out bags and instruction flyers in Penticton and Summerland until Thursday. 

On Saturday morning, volunteers will go through neighbourhoods and collect bags on people's doorsteps that are filled food items to be donated.

For those looking to donate in Okanagan Falls and Kaleden, volunteers partnered with employees from Helping Hand will be set up at the IGA on 9th Avenue in OK Falls accepting donations, as well as the Kaleden Community Hall on Lakeview Road.

The hours at both locations that residents will be able to donate is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Last year, the organization collected 8,927 pounds of food in Summerland and Penticton, from approximately 11,000 residences.

Those items were then donated to food banks in the community.

Nearly 200 volunteers took part in the South Okanagan.

"This year, we're sure hoping to do better than that. Because the need is up with the fires around the province," Dr. Johnathan Sevy said, organizer for the BCTFD. 

Province-wide, the project collected more the 475,000 pounds of food in 2016, an estimated value of $1.1 million dollars. 

To volunteer for the food drive, you can contact coordinator Dan Kane at 250-328-8151.