Plans are moving ahead for the Lake Country Rotary Club to hand over the new food bank building to the Lake Country Food Assistance Society.
Representatives of both the Rotary Club and the food assistance society will take part in a special ceremony Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
The ceremony comes after the death of longtime food bank manager Phyllis MacPherson.
“We are all going to miss Phyllis. She was a unique and very passionate individual,” said Rotarian Bob Rymarchuk, the driving force behind the new building.
“We were blessed that she chose to be such an important part of our community. I’m sure Phyllis is resting much easier knowing that we were able to take this important step — ensuring the task she set out for herself could be successfully carried on for the forseeable future. What a legacy.”
The journey to a new and permanent home for the Lake Country Food Bank was a a true community effort. In January 2015, the project won a $100,000 award from Aviva Insurance and it was enough to bring the finish line into site for the Rotary Club and the many community partners. Once the Okanagan College trades program broke ground on the building, the ball was rolling, while Rotary kept pushing for more donations and holding work parties.
At present, the only two items that will remain uncompleted are the exterior siding on the building, with that work expected to be underway in early January, and the landscaping and the paving of the parking area scheduled for the spring or early summer of 2016.
The basement of the building remains unfinished and will not be used immediately.