Castle Fuels (2008) Inc. is fortunate to be able to make donations to a few of our local charities and organizations, given the challenges of this past year. Along with the support of Petro-Canada, we were able to support the Kamloops Food Bank, the Cranbrook Foodbank Society, and the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation. As we recognize the added effects that COVID has brought on our communities, we decided to make an additional donation to the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank to help with their increase in community need during this time. Take a look below for more information on each donation: .

Kamloops Food Bank

 

Mr. Hank Woodland founded the Kamloops Food Bank in 1981, as a way to assist people through the high inflation rates of the early 1980’s. They operate one of the largest food recovery programs in Western Canada. The foodSHARE program collects all close-dated perishable products, including dairy, meat, bread, produce and deli items, from all major grocery stores in Kamloops and distributes them to different households. In 2019 they diverted 2.5 million pounds of food, a retail value of nearly $7 million dollars, from the landfill and instead into families homes. Their goal is to minimize waste and increase the redirection of healthy food to people instead of landfills.

From January to October, the Kamloops Food Bank served 1,765,863 lbs of perishable items, and 684,499 lbs of non-perishable items, a total of 5,250 people served.

Their Vision: They believe in a hunger-free community

Their Mission: Sharing Food. Feeding Hope.

Castle Fuels donated $2,000 to the Kamloops Food Bank, along with a dry goods donation collected from all of the staff. For more information and to donate, click here: https://www.kamloopsfoodbank.org/ways-to-give/donate/

 

Cranbrook Foodbank Society

 

Founded in 1982, the Cranbrook Food Bank gives out an average of 405 food baskets each month, an average of 31,500 lbs/month. For every $1 donated, a food bank is able to acquire and share 3 pounds of food, equal to 3 meals. This goes to show that no donation is too small, and every little bit truly does help.

Castle Fuels donated $2,000 to the Cranbrook Food Bank. To donate today, click here:  http://www.cranbrookfoodbank.ca/donate.html

The Kelowna General Hospital opened in 1908 with just 19 beds, on land that was donated by the Kelowna Land and Orchards (KLO) Co. What started as a small, regional hospital, is now one of British Columbia’s leading healthcare centers, providing critical services to over 750,000 people throughout the interior of BC.

‘Since 1978 the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation has been the bridge between a generous community and its rapidly growing healthcare needs’  – KGH Foundation

 

Central Okanagan Community Food Bank

 

The Central Okanagan Community Food Bank was founded on July 1st, 2015, when the Westside Community Food Bank and the Kelowna Community Food Bank joined forces to become one. They are a non-profit, charitable organization, with a goal to provide nutritious food to those who need it most. Between their Kelowna and West Kelowna locations, they serve between 3,300 to 4,300 individuals per month, a combined $3.5 million in food per year. They are a member of Food Banks Canada, Food Banks BC, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Westside Board of Trade.

Castle Fuels donated $1,000 dollars as well as dry goods that were donated by staff. As the organization is run on volunteers, seeing around 150 volunteers per year with a combined 25,000+ hours, getting involved is easy and makes the world of difference. To volunteer or make a donation the the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank, click here: https://cofoodbank.com/donate/