UPBEAT COMMERCE CONNEX AT CENTRAL OKANAGAN FOOD BANK

Kelowna: Every month, the Kelowna Chamber organizes a networking event hosted by one of its members. The popular events, nicknamed “Commerce Connex” run the gamut of member sectors.

April’s event was special, held at the Central Okanagan Food Bank, and featuring food from the COFB’s own food recovery program, tours of the facility, and donations from the attendees of non-perishable food items or monetary contributions.

Trevor Moss is the CEO of the COFB. He has seen the demand rise from several thousand a month several ago to the current 12,000 people per month.

Clients are wide-ranging, including immediate food assistance for families and food for SD23 students. The critical services COFB offer are in place in both Kelowna and West Kelowna.

Moss says, “Demand on our services is steadily increasing - in 2025, 26% of our clients were new to the food bank. We see all types of people and families at the food bank - there is no one type of person that we serve here.”

“Rising inflation and overall increasing cost of living has brought in many families experiencing extreme financial hardship even when they would’ve previously been well-prepared for a job loss or medical issue. We’re seeing working people that can’t keep up (43% of our clients are single person households).”

Moss also notes that 14% of the COFB clients are seniors. And 44% of the overall client base are children.

Attendees at the event said they had their eyes opened to not only the scope of the work of COFB, but also the compassionate service offered to clients, and the technology that allows the bank to make use of food at many different stages of the supply chain from donations, to food rescue from retailers and restaurants.

“Our numbers keep growing,” said Moss, “but fortunately, so does the generosity of the community. But it’s always a race to keep up.”

May’s Commerce Connex is at Norelco Cabinets, on May 20^th. www.kelownachamber.org/events