Food banks in the Okanagan will receive a nutritious boost that will benefit low-income families, thanks to new provincial funding announced today.

Norm Letnick, MLA for 琉璃神社-Lake Country, shared the news while celebrating at the Lake Country Food Bank.

鈥淟ake Country Food Bank and others in the Okanagan are regularly offered donations of perishable food, and it is heartbreaking that they have to turn down these foods due to a lack of refrigeration storage,鈥� said executive director Laura Lansink, of Food Bank BC 鈥淭hat changes today with this new funding and families will no longer have to rely on cans of non-perishable food alone, but instead will have access to a wide variety of fresh, nutritious foods that all families want and deserve.鈥�

The funding supports the Okanagan region鈥檚 10 food banks by providing funding that will allow them to provide fresh, healthy food to those in need.

In total, $10 million is being provided to Food Banks BC to help the organization鈥檚 100 food banks throughout the province by ensuring they have the proper refrigeration capacity to receive these fresh products and provide them to families. Food Banks BC will invest $6.5 million for transporting nutritious food from farms, grocery stores and restaurants and $3.5 million for refrigeration at food bank facilities to store and distribute the food.

This funding builds on the Provincial Farmers鈥� Food Donation Tax Credit announced in 2016. The non-refundable income tax credit encourages farmers and farming corporations to donate surplus agricultural products that they produce - such as fresh vegetables, meat, grain and dairy - to local food banks and charities.

This announcement supports B.C.鈥檚 goal to reduce barriers for low-income families throughout the province and provide better access to fresh food families need to help maintain good health and nutrition, resulting in a better quality of life.