Image Credit: United Way BC

By Adam Donnelly

BC WILDFIRE SEASON

Nicola Valley Food Bank steps up to support wildfire evacuees

Aug 27, 2021 | 3:56 PM

MERRITT, B.C. — It was on June 30 that a fire tore through the town of Lytton, B.C. Since those early days of the 2021 fire season, the Nicola Valley Food Bank has been there for evacuees.

“Bedding, clothing, shoes, dish soap, tents, sleeping bags, propane,” Derlanda Hewton lists off. “Everything they needed, we supplied to them.”

It was clear early on that the food bank and ESS centres would not be big enough to hold the outpouring of donations that came rolling in.

“We just couldn’t turn them away,” Hewton explains. “We contacted the Merritt Elks. They were kind enough to let us use their hall for the whole duration, and we just have all the donations still coming in.”

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Throughout the summer, the food bank has had a small army of dedicated volunteers who come day in and day out. Whether sorting through donations, or in Gloria Moses’s case, driving evacuees to get supplies when they need them, the extra hands have been welcome.

“With Logan Lake evacuating, and the Lower Nicola Indian Band, it was chaotic for a few days here,” Moses says. “With the establishment here, it was great to have them.”

Moses, who’s from Logan Lake, is an evacuee herself. She says she feels a great deal of empathy for what other evacuees have been dealing with, which is why she’s been so ready to help.

“The fire was right at our doorstep,” Moses says. “How devastating it is to be displaced. It’s hard to explain this feeling of displacement. I felt I needed support too, and coming here is my support.”

United Way BC has been one of the partners that has provided funding to keep the shelves at the food bank stocked. With summer coming to an end, it is making plans to help those who can return home, as well as those who don’t have homes to return to.

“As the smoke clears and things seem less urgent, it’s really important that we don’t forget those people who are still without a home, are still without belongings, and winter is coming,” United Way BC Regional Director Katie Neustaeter explains. “The [United For BC Wildfire Recovery] fund is really looking at how do we meet the needs of people, how do we connect them back into the community, and how do we make sure their lives are safe as they move forward.”

Friday is the final day the food bank will be operating for evacuees out of the Elks Lodge. However, Derlanda says they plan to continue to provide support to communities like Spences Bridge, Lytton, and other folks in the area whose lives have been irrevocably changed by the 2021 fire season.

“All that people have to do is contact the Nicola Valley Food Bank through our Facebook page, or email us at FoodBank@telus.net and let us know what their needs are and we will arrange to get the product to them.”