The FH&P Lawyers Urban Race supports Kelowna Community Food Bank’s Tiny Bundles Program.
In Their Words – a Testimonial from a beneficiary of the Tiny bundles Program
I am writing to tell you how important the Nutrition Improvement Programs are to me.
I am a single mother of two. My son is eight months old while my daughter is seven years old.
Despite, not having enough money to make ends meet, I feel fortunate that I am able to turn to the Kelowna Community Food Bank for assistance.
I cannot express in words how it feels to know that you do not make enough money to provide for your family. It means a lot to know that you are there to help. Every bit helps. It costs a lot to live here. The Food Bank helps ensure that my rent and bills get paid regularly and on time.
I am a participant of the Tiny Bundles and Vitality program. I am eligible to receive a monthly food hamper once every month plus weekly visits for the Tiny Bundles program. I am thankful for the extra produce, dairy items and baby products offered by the programs and I always feel welcome.
The staff and volunteers are always there to help when you need it and you can count on them to make sure you get enough food for yourself and your kids. The people are very welcoming, friendly and supportive. I truly appreciate all their help.
Thank you for offering these programs.
About Kelowna Community Food Bank & the Tiny Bundles Program
The Kelowna Community Food Bank is a self-sustaining non-profit organization, receiving cash and food donations through annual campaigns, special fundraising events and local partnerships.
Our dedication to help individuals, who due to circumstances, cannot provide for themselves, enables us to provide a 5 to 7 day supply of food to more than 2,500 low-income families and individuals each month. Last year the Kelowna Community Food Bank helped feed nearly 40,000 people – 10,000 of those were children.
Funds raised from this years FH&P Lawyers Urban Race will go towards our Tiny Bundles Program. The Tiny Bundles is a program designed to meet the needs of pregnant mothers and families that have children under the age of one.
What this means, is that in addition to regular monthly hampers, Tiny Bundle participants also receive weekly nutritional support including milk, eggs, cheese, fresh fruits, vegetables and any baby supplies needed – diapers, wipes, formula, pabulum and baby food. Mothers also receive a one-time layette, containing new baby items, when the baby is born.
The Tiny Bundles program has witnessed many changes since implementation. First, public health nurses attend Tiny Bundles weekly. They serve as a valuable resource and entry point to ensure all mothers are connected to important services. The community nurses come in and weigh the babies, make sure they are growing at the proper rate; track infant health; answer any questions that mothers may have and ensure that mothers are accessing free services available to them to promote healthy development and growth for their little one.
Second, transportation appeared to be a major challenge for mothers traveling with infants, causing attendance to be sporadic and participation to be lower than expected. To rectify the situation, we partnered with Church Serve – a volunteer delivery service. This addition allows mothers to have their weekly hamper delivered directly to their home.
Third, last year we implemented the ‘Blender Program” – we provide a blender in each layette and teach mothers how to make homemade baby food once their baby is 6 months old. This has been a great program; mothers are taking fruits and veggies they never took before only to discover their child loves them. We teach mothers’ safe food handling and storage techniques, moms share their recipes and feel better about providing food for their child that has no additives or preservatives. Plus they feel empowered that they are providing for their child.
Currently we are running a special project during the month of April – April is Oral Health month. We understand that poverty is a determinant of health. Many low income families are unable to afford the basic oral hygiene products necessary for optimal health. It is for this reason that we partnered with the Interior Health Authority to support the oral health habits of low income families. During the entire month of April, all Tiny Bundles recipients will be provided a pre-packaged “oral health goodie bag” containing; a new toothbrush for everyone in the family; dental floss; toothpaste; important oral health information and parents will have an opportunity to have their questions answered by a dental health professional who will be on site. The reality is that dental disease is painful, expensive to treat, can lead to life threatening complications and is often preventable – we want to arm parents with as much information as possible for them and their little one!
Since the programs’ inception, we have distributed more than 3,525 Tiny Bundles hampers, with an additional 4,279 Tiny Bundle Weekly hampers (helping 2,875 individual mothers and 2,961 children under the age of one). In addition, we distribute approximately 100 layettes per year. On any given month, we see approximately 100 babies and 20 pregnant moms.
The Kelowna Community Food Bank is the onlu organization operating this type of program and so we are committed to meeting the nutritional needs of mothers and infants living in poverty. We are happy and excited that the JCI Okanagan’s took an interest in this worthy program again. This program is highly needed in our community.
I encourage you all to get out and raise as much money as you can – trust me when I say every bit helps and all this money will go towards meeting the basic needs of babies in our community.