Finding help when needed

Castanet is proud to partner with the Central Okanagan Food Bank for the Set the Holiday Table campaign. This month, we will be sharing the stories of local residents helped by the organization.

Allison always dreamed of running her own business and contributing to the local economy.

With a passion for serving her community, she invested in business courses at Okanagan College, absorbing everything she could about finance, operations, and customer service. When Allison opened the doors to her small business, she wanted it to be a place where customers felt valued and connected.

For a time, things looked promising. Allison was proud of what she was building. But as the end of last year approached, cracks began to show. Her rent increased, the cost of supplies and utilities steadily climbed each month, she noticed her customers were spending less. Despite her best efforts, Allison soon realized that continuing was no longer sustainable.

With bills still piling up and savings nearly depleted, Allison knew she had to pivot quickly. She found work with another local business and began to rebuild her financial footing. Looking for support through this financial upheaval, Allison found the Central Okanagan Food Bank.

Initially, she was hesitant to seek support with COFB, but her bank statements pushed her to go.

“I didn’t think I was the type of person who should use the food bank," she said. "But then I realized my situation was only getting worse and I had to find help. I was only eating noodles everyday.”

Allison wants to focus on giving back to her community again one day soon. Until then, she’s thankful for the aid she is able to receive. Allison shared that surprisingly, going to the food bank made her feel like she was part of her community again.

“It feels huge to be supported,” she added.

This season, donate to COFB’s Set the Holiday Table and your donation will be matched up to a total of $125,000 from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31. Your donation means meals for those experiencing challenging times, like Allison.

You can contribute to Set the Holiday Table by:

• Donate online at cofoodbank.com/settheholidaytable.

• Call the Central Okanagan Food Bank at 250-763-7161 to donate.

• Drop by the Central Okanagan Food Bank office 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday to donate.