Central Okanagan Food Bank reports spike in people needing food hampers this Christmas

A steady flow of traffic kept volunteers busy at the Central Okanagan Food Bank Wednesday as Christmas hamper distribution officially got underway.

A steady flow of traffic kept volunteers busy at the Central Okanagan Food Bank on Wednesday, as Christmas hamper distribution officially got underway.

The food bank will be handing out hundreds of hampers to recipients, including seniors on fixed incomes, people who have fallen on hard times and families struggling to make ends meet.

“We will be providing hampers to local residents in Kelowna and West Kelowna in need of food support from now until noon on December 24,” said Tammie Watson, chief development officer with the Central Okanagan Food Bank.

Watson said this year the need is far greater than last year.

“We anticipated about 2,200 hampers would be required about a month ago, and we’ve had so many people reach out to us just recently that we are now just under 2,500 hampers,” Watson told Global News.

That number marks a 27 per cent jump from the number of hampers handed out just last year.

“It is a massive increase,” said Watson, who attributes the spike in numbers to the ongoing pandemic, a destructive wildfire season and recent flooding emergencies.

“It’s really hard to see. I’m not going to lie,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a difference between getting dinner on the table, and, especially during Christmas time, presents under the tree. It’s a really difficult time for a lot of people.”