Voting by members of the public in support of the Lake Country Food Bank project has gone well but organizers are asking people to continue to vote as food bank boosters are hoping to win a $100,000 grant through a Canada-wide online contest.
The contest is through Aviva Insurance which makes $1 million available each year for worthy community projects. This year, almost 500 projects were entered in the competition across Canada including the Lake Country Food Bank project which is seeking a $100,000 grant towards building a permanent new home.
In each funding category, only 15 projects will move on to the finals, determined by the number of votes registered at the Aviva website: https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf19456
After the first weekend of voting the Food Bank project was ranked 18th in its $50 to$100,000 category. It needs to climb at least three places up the rankings to be sure of getting into the next round of voting.
The Lake Country Rotary Club has taken the lead in organizing community support for the Food Bank project while students at George Elliot Secondary School decided to get behind the project as well
A secondary purpose of encouraging the voting for the Aviva Fund is to raise awareness within the Lake Country community. The Rotary Club’s spokesperson for the Food Bank project, Bob Rymarchuk, estimates that the project needs another $200,000 before construction can safely start.
To date, over $120,000 in donations has been received or committed. The land, worth about $275,000, has been contributed by the municipal government of the District of Lake Country. Local businesses have promised another $200,000 in goods and services, once construction starts.
Okanagan College will use the project as practical training for students in its carpentry trades program; UBC-Okanagan engineering has gotten involved with design and engineering considerations.
Winning a grant of $100,000 from the Aviva Fund would go a long way towards getting shovels into the ground this coming February.
To vote go to https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf19456. Register, and vote every day.
The Lake Country Food Bank feeds 600 families every month, with 50 volunteers.