December 3, 2020Rotary Centre for the Arts Celebrates Drive-By Light Up with Central Okanagan Community Food Bank

Rotary Centre for the Arts invites the community to join the Drive-by Light Up, Thursday, December 3, 2020, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. supporting the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank. The community celebrates the holiday season's festive lights and music from a safe distance, while volunteers will be collecting food bank donations from vehicles in our Rotary Centre for the Arts parking lot at 421 Cawston Drive in downtown Kelowna.


This pandemic has unleashed both health and economic crises globally and locally, causing a greater demand for community food banks, especially with the upcoming holiday season. With the new COVID-19 guidelines and regulations, the Rotary Centre for the Arts has pivoted how they offer arts and cultural events and programs.


"This holiday season, more than ever, Kelowna's Rotary Centre for the Arts wants to help the community embrace the festive spirit by bringing a non-perishable food item to our Drive-By Light Up - Food Bank Collection. CO Food Bank and RCA volunteers will be collecting the food items for those in need in our community," explains Colleen Fitzpatrick, Executive Director at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.


Sarah Martin, Community Development Coordinator for Central Okanagan Food Bank. "Nearly 5,000 Kelowna and West Kelowna residents access services provided by the Central Okanagan Food Bank every month. In recent weeks, client registration has risen sharply, and client usage has increased by almost 27%. Our most vulnerable community members, including children and seniors, are experiencing a heightened risk of food insecurity during this uncertain and challenging season. As a non-government funded non-for-profit organization, we rely on the generosity of our entire community to help us provide nutritious food to our neighbours in need. Thank you for your support."


Non-perishable food items can be dropped off at the Rotary Centre for the Arts' Box Office at 421 Cawston Avenue in downtown Kelowna, Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Rotary Centre for the Arts is accepting donations on behalf of the Food Bank through December 13.

In the spirit of giving, the RCA is accepting cash donations to the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank and to Rotary Centre for the Arts to help support arts and culture.


Join us to celebrate the holiday season by purchasing tickets to one or more of our five virtual holiday shows and at home programming from the safety of your living room. Additionally, the community is encouraged to support arts, culture and our artists at this time by generously donating to the Rotary Centre for the Arts HERE.

 


Rotary Centre for the Arts Celebrates Drive-By Light Up with Central Okanagan Community Food Bank