A new vehicle will help expand the Gospel Mission’s reach in Kelowna’s downtown area.
Kelowna’s Gospel Mission announced it will be launching an additional outreach van on Thursday, March 25, which the mission will use to distribute hot meals for those who need it.
The first stop will be at Queensway, behind the bus loop downtown.
The Gospel Mission had to limit access to its dining hall due to COVID-19 restrictions, with the meal service being available to residents staying in the shelter.
Troy McKnight is the non-profit’s corporate and community relations officer, and he said letting people go hungry was not an option.
“We increased our outreach team and started serving three meals a day out of the back of our outreach minivan in various locations around town,” he said.
“As COVID-19 continued and people experiencing homelessness grew, it became clear that the minivan was no longer a viable option to accommodate the number of meals needed.”
McKnight said the community put resources together to help them purchase and outfit a new van.
“With all the bad news in our world today, this was an incredible show of support for people in need in our community,” he added.
The Gospel Mission is thanking Discovery Glass fabricator Martin Ficke who outfitted the van with a storage and serving system, as well as other community donors, including Sawatzky Family Foundation, KRM, Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd., NOR-VAL Rentals, MBW, Sentes Automotive, Paul Cluff Real Estate, and Joel Kern.
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