Firefighters’ 23rd Annual Food Drive continues making safe changes for COVID-19

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday November 30, 2020

West Kelowna Fire Rescue is pleased to support local food banks in 2020 by modifying its 23^rd Annual Holiday Food Drive in keeping with provincial health guidelines regarding COVID-19. Instead of the usual door-to-door collection, West Kelowna Fire Stations will serve as convenient drop off sites for residents to leave their non-perishable food donations from Dec. 1 through Dec 15.

“Our fire stations are strategically located across the Westside to provide quick response, so they also make terrific drop off locations for our residents’ food bank donations,” says Fire Chief Jason Brolund. “We hope residents strongly support our modified approach as the holiday season is a time of great need for Westside residents accessing the Central Okanagan Food Bank. West Kelowna Fire Rescue’s Annual Food Drive collects thousands of items, keeping shelves full throughout winter.”

Residents can leave their donations at contactless depots, using designated bins at the four locations:

• Station 31 – Westbank, 3651 Old Okanagan Highway
• Station 32 – Lakeview Heights, 2708 Olalla Road
• Station 33 – Rose Valley, 1805 Westlake Road
• Station 34 – Glenrosa, 3399 Gates Road

“Let’s do everything we can to keep our community and firefighters safe during the pandemic and still ensure the foodbank gets the help it needs,” says Chief Brolund. “Firefighters will take good care of everyone’s donations and make sure they get to the food bank.”

The pandemic is financially impacting an unprecedented number of local households, says the Central Okanagan Food Bank, which forecasts a 28 per cent increase in Christmas hamper requests.

“Food brings us together and many holiday memories are made around the table; however for families facing hunger, holiday meals can be a source of great stress”, says Tammie Watson, CDO of the Central Okanagan Food Bank. “We thank Westside residents in advance for pitching in as much as they can to support the firefighters’ food drive and make sure no one goes hungry.”