(File photo)

Sophie Gray

Local Journalism Initiative

Osoyoos and Oliver businesses are coming together to help support local hospitality workers who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 through the launch of a new fund.

The Helping Our People Eat (HOPE) Fund is a joint effort between Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country Association and local food industry supporter Oliver Eats Ltd. The donation-based fund aims to provide meals for four people for every five dollars they receive. The meals will be prepared at Oliver Eats and made available for anyone from McIntyre Bluff to the border who would usually be working in wineries, restaurants and other hospitality businesses.

Derek Uhlemann, chef and founder of Oliver Eats, said the idea came about through his experience working with the local food producers and wineries who, at this time of year, are usually just starting up for the season.

“Having had a background working in Covert Farms family estate with their CSA program, the Community Support of Agriculture … we knew we had the capacity to sort of pivot the business into things that would be helpful,” he said.

Together with help from many other hospitality and food service businesses all over Osoyoos and Oliver, they came up with a way to support those who are suddenly unemployed. 

“We have this amazing connectedness in the South Okanagan. The wineries, 45 wineries between the bluff and the border that work so in concert with us,” said Uhlemann. “We talked about what we could do as far as a soup kitchen or a staff meal, and then I reached out to our winery association who immediately said they were literally having a similar meeting.”

Uhlemaan said they all agreed that it’s very important to make sure the people working in the tourism and hospitality industries are fed in order to keep them around town for when the industry ramps up again. With tourism being one of the biggest economic drivers in the Okanagan, there needs to be workers available when the time comes.

“If we don’t stay active and keep people working and fed and here, it’ll echo way later. People really won’t recognize it until it’s already so hard to dig out of,” said Uhlemann. 

At the moment, that means the largely seasonal workers who would normally be working in winery tasting rooms, resorts and restaurants. With nearly a million people in the hospitality sector out of work, Uhlemann believes the H.O.P.E. Fund isn’t just a social responsibility but also a framework for support in the future. 

“We’d like to make sure that when there’s disaster or need in the Okanagan, that we can make sure we have food security within our community,” said Uhlemann. “I don’t think that we always can rely on government, and that’s not in a negative way, just that it’s also part of our social service as a community to make sure that we have plans in place.”

Uhlemann and many other businesses in Oliver and Osoyoos are taking it upon themselves to make that plan. Donations from businesses around the area are making it possible for the H.O.P.E. Fund to make meals each week for those who need them from the hospitality industry. 

Those in need can access the meals anonymously by emailing [email protected] by Thursday each week or contacting their management. Meals will be available for pick up Saturday’s at a time given over email. 

To donate to the H.O.P.E. Fund, go to https://www.oliverosoyoos.com/about/hope-fund/.