Get healthy, feed hungry
Sponsored Content - May 23, 2021 - Think Local

Photo: Contributed

Check your health and support your community food bank.

TELUS Health is committed to building a healthier you and healthier communities, and it is doing just that for Okanagan residents by leveraging the power of technology. With Babylon by TELUS Health, available via an easy-to-use smartphone app, you can use the Healthcheck tool, which provides real insights into your physical and mental health, and personalized tips so you can proactively make small changes to improve your overall health and well-being.

Each time a Kamloops or Vernon resident downloads and registers for the app by May 31, 2021, TELUS Health will give $5 to the Kamloops Food Bank and Salvation Army Food Bank Vernon up to a maximum of $3,500 and $1,500, respectively.

At the centre of making sure your community is healthy are your local food banks. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been on the frontlines responding to the increased need of your communities every day. However, the pandemic has caused significant challenges for many of the 3,000-plus food banks and community agencies that support Canadians from coast to coast.

Some of the challenges food banks face include drastic reductions in volunteers and staff, having to cancel food drives and fundraising events due to frontline demands, and food shortage, with many reporting having only 10 to 14 days of food in stock. The needs and impacts are real, and food bank use is only expected to rise in the near future. Through these challenging times, food banks have stepped up to help their communities and continue to prove their resilience by responding with some of the following actions:

• Facilitating the provision of healthy meal kits to children;

• Protecting employees, volunteers and clients by making innovative adjustments to address increased service demands while protecting the health and safety of clients, employees and volunteers. Some of those measures include infection prevention and control practices, such as enhanced cleaning, disinfecting and hand hygiene as well as shifting their distribution models to offer scheduled appointments for food pickups and drop-offs; and

• Food Banks Canada is also working closely with local food banks and all levels of government to ensure the network is able to meet the expected rise in demand.

That’s a lot to digest. TELUS Health is making it easy for you to support your local food bank today through the Babylon by TELUS Health app.

This is one small way that together we can make a difference in our community and support one another. Making positive changes through the use of digital tools like Babylon by TELUS Health and its features like Healthcheck could prevent illnesses before they happen. That way, you can and your family can do even more to give back to the community where you live.

Download and register the Babylon by TELUS Health app today.

This article is written by or on behalf of the sponsoring client and does not necessarily reflect the views of Okanagan Edge.


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