The head of the Kamloops Food Bank is hoping people who are able to give, do so, to whatever charity they feel close to.

Executive Director Bernadette Siracky says the food bank, like most charities, has seen unprecedented demand and for everybody that’s weathered the COVID-19 storm, she says there’s someone on the opposite end of the spectrum. “If you’re not struggling right now, trust me that certainly is matched by people who are struggling,” she says.

“It’s not just the food bank, it’s every charity in the world, literally, is struggling right now or has had to shift their operation or let people go. It’s the same thing as any business going on and there are some charities, especially in our city, that aren’t going to make it through this.”

Siracky says it’s important to find something we feel a connection to. “So, if there’s a charity that resonates with you, that you are passionate about, that you just know needs to be here when this pandemic ends, please support it.”

She says many non-profits are having to adjust on the fly. “We all depend on our community and we’re trying to figure out a new way to raise funds and to continue our operations… We’ve had the same struggles as any business has had. So if you have a charity that you know needs to be here and you feel passionate about it, please support it and figure it out.”

Siracky knows not everyone is in a position to give but she says getting the word out is a powerful donation in itself.

“You don’t have to raise $100,000 to help your charity. What you can do is increase awareness which is so helpful for us. Social media is huge especially now when people are just on line all the time even for work so use your social media for good and we certainly benefit from that and our community’s most vulnerable benefit from it.”

Most supermarkets are set up to take donations to the food bank or you can give on line at kamloopsfoodbank.org.