They ran out of bags at 8:45 a.m. but the donations kept rolling in.
The United Way Drive-Thru Breakfast raised more than $10,500 to support local programs, thanks to the community’s support Thursday morning at the Vernon Atrium Hotel and Conference Centre.
“That’s the first time that’s happened in a couple of years,” said Linda Yule, executive director for the United Way North Okanagan Columbia Shuswap.
“Ten thousand dollars in some cases covers an entire program we fund, sometimes two.”
The 16th annual event was full of laughter and smiles as volunteers from Nixon Wenger washed car windows, a member of the RCMP passed out breakfast bags and volunteers from Telus, NexusBC and other local businesses served up Tim Hortons coffee and made sure dogs also received treats.
The volunteers marveled at the outpouring of local support as they received donations even after they ran out of bags.
“United Way is our Fibre for Good partner, so we donated $500 as a corporate challenge,” said volunteer Brangwen Mooney, Telus senior regional marketing manager.
The money raised goes to support 22 different groups and 30 programs, including Canadian Mental Health, Brain Trust Canada, Community Dental Access Centre, Community Recreational Initiatives Society, Enderby and District Family Resource Centre, First Nations Friendship Centre, Okanagan Boys and Girls Club and Whitevalley Community Resource Centre.
The United Way’s investment goal for the next year is $631,193.
“We have been reviewing community priorities in the towns and cities we support throughout our region, and we are convinced that in order to move the needle on poverty and social fabric related issues, we need to start here, at a $631,193 investment for 2017,” said Yule.