You can help build a Lake Country food bank with this simple gesture

LAKE COUNTRY – The food bank in Lake Country is asking for the public’s help winning a national competition that could put them one step closer to a much-needed new facility.

The Aviva Community Fund is a Canada-wide contest soliciting community votes for ideas put forward by local non-profits and the winner gets a cash prize. Last week the Lake Country Food Bank was named a semi-finalist for their need of a brand new facility.

According to their post on the Aviva contest page, the Food Bank’s current building is too old, too small and no longer meets the needs of the community.

“Although Lake Country is an agricultural community, the Food Bank does not have the space or facilities to store fresh produce, so clients do not receive the healthy fruit and vegetables which could be available,” the page says. “There is no client reception area. Each day, year round, families, single parents, young children, and seniors seeking food assistance must line up outside, often in extreme weather conditions. The building has now been put up for sale, making a new, permanent location for the Food Bank even more essential.”

Voting closes in only seven days, and so far the Food Bank has over one thousand votes.

If they win the $100,000 prize, the Lake Country Food Assistance Society, which operates the food bank, will be within $250,000 of reaching their required budget of just over $1 million. According to their website, the municipality has donated land and waived fees and taxes and the Rotary Club of Lake Country have raised over $125,000. They also have received pledges from engineering and trades students in the area worth over $265,000 in materials and labour.

The Lake Country Food Bank is currently located in the basement of a 100-year-old school and is the only source of food assistance between Kelowna and Vernon. It is operated by the Lake Country Food Assistance Society, a registered charity and volunteer organization serving the community since the mid-1970s.

More than 50 volunteers work at the Food Bank each week, serving hundreds of families in the area.

To cast a vote for the Lake Country Food Bank, visit the Aviva website.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.