Our Vital Signs 2025 Spotlight on Food Security is here:
Thank you to our sponsor of the 2025 Vital Signs report!
What is Vital Signs?
Vital Signs is a biennial report that measures the well-being of all of our communities in the South Okanagan Similkameen, using data and information on everything from health, the environment, the economy and more.
Vital Signs is a useful tool for community organizations, charities, municipalities and volunteers to learn about issues in our community that need our attention.
Why did we spotlight food security?
Food security – a state that exists when people have access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development, and an active and healthy life* – is not a reality for many residents in the South Okanagan Similkameen.
Building a more food secure future is a complex challenge, and one the Community Foundation is serious about addressing. We hope this report will increase our collective understanding of the many issues impacting food security, and act as a catalyst for collective action to ensure a more resilient, stable and equitable food system in our region.
For more information on the Community Foundation’s work in food security, click here.
(*https://www.wfp.org/stories/food-security-what-it-means-and-why-it-matters)
2023 Vital Signs Reports
In 2023, the Community Foundation North Okanagan (CFNO), Central Okanagan Foundation (COF) and Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen (CFSOS) produced three Vital Signs reports that examined the strengths, challenges and needs across the Okanagan Valley.
These reports took a closer look at the smaller communities making up the North Okanagan, the Central Okanagan and the South Okanagan Similkameen, while making comparisons to the entire Okanagan and the province of British Columbia. They showed us where we are falling short in providing for our most vulnerable citizens, and offered a platform of data and trends to examine for future solutions.
Past Vital Signs Reports
Click on the images below to download past Vital Signs Reports from the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen:
