The Kamloops Food Bank’s ‘Take it to the Bank’ 50/50 raffle is officially underway and the winner could take home up to half a million dollars.

That is if all 102,500 tickets are sold between now through May 14.

Executive Director Bernadette Siracky says half the money raised will go to one lucky winner, with the other half going to support the nearly 7,000 people, 50 community agencies, and the nine smaller food banks in the Kamloops region.

“To operate a food bank we need a building and our staff. But we need volunteers, we need food donations, and we need financial donations,” she said, noting they rely heavily on the community to be able to serve those most at need. “We need all of that to make it operate.”

Siracky says since the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in people volunteering at the food bank .

“The community keeps us going it’s really important to be supporting us in the ways that this community has in the past. So if you can spare $20, great, if you put a yellow food bag out during Rotary Food Drive, it’s incredibly helpful,” she added.

Tickets for the 50/50 draw are available online in packs of 3 for $20, 10 for $50, or 25 for $100.

The draw is set to take place at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 15, and you can buy tickets here.