Donation push keeps food on the table, but supply struggles aren’t over for the Kamloops Food Bank

KAMLOOPS – With a drop in regular donations still causing concern at the Kamloops Food Bank, the organization is hoping the public will keep checking their pantries for any spare food.

Kamloops residents responded to the non-profit’s recent push for additional food products, and that generosity ensured that this week, the city’s less fortunate didn’t go without the food supply they depend on.

Last week, the organization realized the normal donation amounts had plummeted, and with clients lined up outside the doors, something had to be done.

“We ran out of perishable product for the first time in years,” says Executive Director Bernadette Siracky, “I think our clients at that point still were able to choose the products that they were taking, but we have a 50 percent decline in perishable donations from stores – which is our number one source for that type of product. So we really need to look at our distribution strategy, and how are we going to distribute food to as many people, for as long as possible.”

Since the news of the Food Bank’s struggles first was put out to the public, Siracky says they have had many people reach out to see what can be done.

She notes restaurants and food services temporarily closed due to COVID-19, such as the Noble Pig Brewhouse, and TRU’s Culinary Arts Department, have brought in their perishable products for the Food Bank.

“We’ve had local businesses challenging other ones to donate funds so that we can purchase food. We have friends of ours- Jeff Winger from Progressive Rubber who came on the first day he heard, with a truckful of food from Costco,” she exclaims, “So thank you all to hearing our plea. Having that amount of product come in in that short period of time has ensured that we were able to have full hampers for everybody this week, so thank you.”

Along with a public plea for donations, Siracky says the Food Bank had to move to pre-made hampers to give out every two weeks, instead of weekly distribution. It effectively removes the choice clients would normally have between products, but Siracky says they had to find a way to manage the spike in Food Bank usage.

“The hard part for us, as it is for everybody, is we don’t know when this is going to end. So we’re proceeding with caution.”

Siracky says they’re going to be depending on the upcoming Daybreak Rotary Spring Food Drive on April 18 to bring in some much-needed supplies.

The annual event is largely contact-free anyways, with bags of groceries left outside of donor homes, so there is a possibility Rotarians will be able to continue. Organizers have said that it would likely be without a group volunteer breakfast to kick off the event, and they will place limits on how many volunteers would gather in one spot for sorting.

“We’re hoping that people really open their pantries and say, ‘You know what, I have an extra case of soup, I have some extra tuna’, and that they’ll send it along to us. Because right now, sourcing product in large quantities is incredibly difficult.”

Usually, Siracky says the Food Bank demand is a good indicator of how stable the economy is, and how well families are doing financially. With the current economic situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, she expects the Food Bank will see an increase in client numbers, and more donations will be needed to keep up.

To learn more about how to help the Kamloops Food Bank, click here to access the website.