Central Okanagan municipal workers are donating $15,000 to help local non-profits during the ongoing pandemic.
CUPE 338, a union that represents Central Okanagan civic workers, will be donating the money to the Kelowna Women’s Shelter and Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Kelowna.
“[Our] members live and work in communities from West Kelowna to Lake Country. As front-line workers, we’ve seen firsthand how many of our friends, neighbours and fellow community members are struggling through this difficult time,” CUPE 338 president Ken Pommier said.
“The Kelowna Women’s Shelter and CMHA Kelowna provide vital supports that are more important than ever in this public health emergency. We hope these donations will help them continue this important work, especially through the holiday season.”
The union is donating $5,000 to the Kelowna Women’s Shelter and $10,000 to CMHA Kelowna, with $5,000 of that donation going to Foundry Kelowna’s mobile services, which will launch in 2021.
CMHA Kelowna executive director Shelagh Turner said they are incredibly grateful for the donation.
“Supporting the mental health of our community has never been more important,” she said.
“These funds will go a long way to ensuring anyone, regardless of age, can access the resources, tools and education they need to be well.”
Kelowna Women’s Shelter resource development coordinator Ester Pike said this has been a challenging year for them.
“It is only through the support of community-minded groups such as CUPE 338 that we have been able to continue to offer our services and programs to women and children in need in Kelowna,” she said.
“We are so very thankful for their generous support.”
READ: Central Okanagan had more than 60% of Interior Health’s COVID-19 cases last week
