To celebrate its 75th birthday on Tuesday (June 29), Kelowna’s fruit-based food and beverage manufacturer SunRype announced that they have partnered with the After The Bell program to help provide 150,000 healthy food packs to Canada’s most vulnerable youth over the summer.
“Our company has always been committed to giving back to our communities and helping families live healthier and happier lives,” said SunRype president Lesli Bradley.
The After the Bell program is a nationwide initiative by Food Banks Canada that is designed to provide meals to youth during the summer. According to the After the Bell website, 130,000 healthy food packs were distributed to food banks across Canada in 2020.
Included in the food packs this year are SunRype’s Fruit to Go Snacks, and in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradley said that it’s more critical than ever to provide vulnerable youth with access to wholesome food.
“The Fruit to Go snacks and monetary contribution that SunRype provided to the After The Bell program will have a positive impact on thousands of Canadian children this summer,” she said.
SunRype launched in 1946 when B.C. fruit growers created a company called BC Fruit Processing Limited and bought two juice plants in Kelowna. Apples were picked from Okanagan orchards and were converted into applesauce and apple juice, with the latter being named SunRype
SunRype has grown to become a household name across the country, and the company currently has over 400 employees operating out of the original 1946 Kelowna-based plant, which has since expanded to a 143,000 square foot facility.
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@aaron_hemensaaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com
