HVAC company supports local charity with wrapped van

Fox and Sons Plumbing Heating Cooling Electrical in Vernon is supporting a local organization with a wrapped van.

One of Fox’s vehicles has been wrapped with the logo for North Okanagan Community Chaplaincy in the inaugural Wrap a Van for a Cause initiative.

“The premise of it is to wrap a van with a local charity that was chosen by the community, and that wrapped van then, for the entire year, will be advertising for them,” said owner and operator, Ted Fox.

“As well, we’re going to donate five per cent of the revenue it produces to that charity for the whole year.”

Fox told Vernon Matters that, depending on how many work sites the van is sent to, it could generate between $6,000 and $30,000 for the North Okanagan Community Chaplaincy (NOCC).

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The decision to go with that charity this year came following a call for nominations from the public.

“It was decided by community votes, none of it was decided in house at Fox. It was all just taken out to social media for voting, and they won by a landslide of over 8,000 votes over the next closest contestant,” said Fox.

Randy Hamm, a pastor at First Baptist Church, attended the unveiling as a representative for NOCC. He told Vernon Matters that they were thrilled to be chosen for this initiative.

“There are so many great organizations, so it’s just great that Fox is willing to say ‘Okay, what’s out there and how do we support all these great organizations?’ and the community stepped up to say ‘NOCC’s the one to be wrapped,’ which is just really thrilling as they seek to support the body and soul of Vernonites, people on the streets and the marginalized,” said Hamm.

He added that the NOCC’s goal is to draw the community together to help those in need, and hopes that the added exposure from being displayed on the Fox van will help get their name out more.

Hamm also said the money raised through the van’s operations will go towards feeding those in need through their weekly meal program.

Fox told Vernon Matters that they had 44 nominations for the Wrap a Van, and after witling it down to the winner, they also had three runners up: Vernon Homeless Outreach Team Association, Vernon Search and Rescue, and the Vernon Starfish Backpack program.

Each of the runners-up were presented with a cheque for $500.

Ted Fox makes cheque presentation (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

Cheque presentation (photo courtesy of Krista Blankley)

Cheque presentation (photo courtesy of Helen Belford)

Fox added that this initiative garnered so much interest from the public that they plan to run it again next year.

“It was so exciting, and the whole purpose of this, finances aside for what it means for the revenue for them. We really wanted to help get their names out there, because a lot of time, people who are giving in the community are the givers, so for them to know about other organizations that are out there too, we’ve got all of them in the same room,” said Fox.

“Forty-four different organizations from the Vernon area all together, all talking and doing these things back and forth, that was the real goal of it, and now we have, for the North Okanagan Chaplaincy, we’ve got a van wrapped that, for a whole year, is going to be running around town. It’s going to draw attention to the cause.”