Couples, parents with children and many more locked in their love and hope on the new installation in Riverside Park, Thursday, June 6, 2019, raising money for the Kamloops Food Bank.

(JENNA WHEELER / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS - A new art installation in Riverside Park hopes to remind everyone how important it is to keep hope locked in your heart.

The installation, Locking In Hope, is a twenty foot long and six and a half feet tall steel mesh structure that will hold the unique padlocks of the community.

Bernadette Siracky, executive director of the Kamloops Food Bank, welcomed members of the community and members of local government to add padlocks to the installation. She shared a quote from Helen Keller regarding the importance of hope to kick off the event.

“Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible,” Siracky said.

“That’s what we do everyday, we set out to achieve the impossible with a hunger free community and a poverty free community."

Kamloops city councillor Bill Sarai locks his padlock onto the "Locking in Hope" installation in Riverside Park, Thursday, June 6, 2019.

(JENNA WHEELER / iNFOnews.ca)

She was joined on stage by Todd Stone, MLA for Kamloops South Thompson, along with other guests.

“When we consider the incredible work that the city did to make this happen, that gives us all hope. When we consider the tremendous vision of the food bank and the staff there and all the volunteers that show up day in day out, day in day out, that gives us tremendous hope,” Stone said.

The crowd was eager to lock on the padlocks that some have been holding for months. They were entertained my Madison Olds, a local Kamloops musician.

“All of us together are making such a big difference in this community, such an impact. This is really a sign of that. It’s a sign of hope,” Siracky said.

The piece was a labour of love for the members of Anvil Ironworks, who took on the 250 hour project.

Many of the locks were personalized, creating a truly unique piece.

(JENNA WHEELER / iNFOnews.ca)

Marvin Sorely, one of the shop's owners, said that is was nice to take on a new kind of project.

“It was kind of unique for our shop, because we’re used to doing big structural steel buildings,” he said.

“The guys enjoyed doing it, but it was a little difficult to build though,” Sorely said. “The heart was an awkward thing to build.”

The labour of love paid off, and now the installation has helped raise $70,675 of the $200,00 goal.

According to the website for the installation, it will be cared for by the City. People are welcomed to leave the keys for their locks in a receptacle that is a part of the installation.

People will be able to contribute to the cause all summer, every Wednesday during Music in the Park. Locks will be sold at each weekly event in hopes of meeting the $200,000 goal.

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News from © iNFOnews, 2019