More than 60 participants joined the Community Foundation’s Food Security Summit on February 27 at Okanagan College’s Penticton campus. The day featured a mix of engaging group discussions and informal networking, highlighted by thought‑provoking presentations from Sammy Blair of Land to Table Network Society and Ayla Fenton of Young Agrarians.

The summit was generously sponsored by Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union. Those in attendance included farmers, food access organizations, local government representatives, health and social services organizations, food policy experts, and local Indigenous food sovereignty leaders. Activities were informed by the findings of the 2025 Vital Signs Spotlight on Food Security report, which can be found here.

Aside from giving participants a chance to share what they feel are the most pressing issues facing food security in our region, the day offered a rare chance for them to connect with their peers and learn from each other. We’ve heard many positive comments from those who attended, including this from one of our presenters:  

[I] just wanted to say thanks again for facilitating my participation in your food summit. I really enjoyed the day! I was very impressed with the discussions and level of coordination happening in your community, you folks should be really proud of the good convening work you are doing.

There are many pages of discussion notes to review, and they will form the basis of our summary report that we’ll share on our website in the coming weeks.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed their ideas for a more food‑secure South Okanagan Similkameen!