The St. Vincent De Paul Society is the latest group to lend a helping hand to the displaced wildfire victims residing in Prince George.
“On the weekend we did clear our store out of blankets, pillows, and towels and have made it known if they need food for providing meals at the Evacuation Centre they can contact us,” says Bernie Goold, chairperson with St Vincent De Paul.
The increased foot traffic has resulted in evacuees looking for necessities Goold says. “We have seen quite a few people in our store access clothing and we’re privileged to do that because we realize people had to go with very little belongings. We can help in any way possible.”
About 3,300 people have registered so far at the Emergency Response Centre located at the College of New Caledonia.
The amount of support shown from the city in this time of crisis is of little surprise to Goold.
“We have experienced how the city rallies around sporting events like the Canada Winter Games and we ourselves are blessed as our greatest wealth is the people who donate to us and our volunteers. We serve approximately 320 means a day thanks to the generosity and we are a small city with a little town heart that has great empathy for anyone that is going through any kind of crisis or hardships in their life.”
She is the least bit concerned that the increased demand for food and other items will put the society in a tough spot. “We know that if it came to us being short that we have many contacts that we could go to but at this particular time what we have is there to be shared with anyone.”
The St. Vincent De Paul Society is not accepting an influx of donations for the wildfire evacuees due to a lack of space.
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