The Prince George Elks Lodge and St. Vincent de Paul Drop-in Centre will be distribute more than nine tonnes of fresh Okanagan apples to food banks throughout northern B.C. this weekend.
It's the 10th year apples donated by three Osoyoos orchards -Casa del Mell, Lighthouse Orchard and Joe and Louisa Carvello's orchard -have been distributed to people in need in the region.
"It was started 10 years ago when Mel and Ken Thibault, who were from Prince George originally, they had these excess apples. On their trip up to Prince George [from Osoyoos] they brought them up," Elks lodge spokesman Laurie Meier said. "We got involved eight years ago."
Initially local Elks members drove the loads of apples back in their private vehicles, but now the apples are commercially trucked to Prince George, with the Elks paying the freight.
Elks Lodge members from Mackenzie, McBride, Quesnel, Vanderhoof and Williams Lake will pick and distribute apples to their own community food banks, Meier said.
"We go for about a 1,000 pounds per community," he said.
In addition, Prince George Elks will transport apples to Burns Lake, Fort St. James, Valemount and Houston.
Approximately half of the apples will stay in Prince George and be distributed through the St. Vincent de Paul society to their clients and 25 other agencies and schools in the city.
"It provides fresh fruit that a lot of [people] can't afford. They use it for food hampers," Meier said. "It's nice and fresh."
The total amount of fruit donated this year is 9.3 tonnes (20,520 pounds) -up from 7.25 tonnes (16,000 pounds) last year. Over the 10 years of the program, the orchards have donated more than 40 tonnes of fresh apples to food banks and agencies in the region.
In order to ensure a sustainable supply of apples for the program the Elks, St. Vincent de Paul and Casa del Mell have partnered to create the Apple Tree Legacy Fund to raise money to plant 600 apple trees at the orchard.
The produce from the trees will all go directly to supply northern food banks, Meier said.
"They will be producing their first fruit in two years," he added.
Residents can sponsor a tree for $25 by contacting Meier at [email protected].
One person who sponsors a tree will win a three-day getaway at Casa del Mell.
