The floods that hit BC have been devastating to the lower mainland, but the Salvation Army is giving northern communities, and the rest of Canada the opportunity to help.
“One of the great parts of the way the Salvation Army is organized is not only do we have our local philanthropic expression, meaning we support people in the local community, but we are also connected to provincial, national, and international Salvation Army resources as well,” said Major Neil Wilkinson with the Prince George Salvation Army.
Wilkinson said this is a unique situation, and in-kind donations may not be helpful.
“So one of the ways we can do that in the north is through supporting the Salvation Army’s disaster relief efforts. And cash is king in this case, as much as we’d like to help out with in-kind donations, the highways are closed, and so we can’t get those donations to the lower mainland.”
The Salvation Army is on the front lines in Kelowna, Kamloops, Chilliwack, and Abbotsford, while locations in Maple Ridge and Abbotsford have been working to supply communities with food, hydration, and blankets.
Over 10,000 meals have been provided to those impacted and the first responders on the ground.
“Several of our locations outside of the impacted areas mobilized their communities immediately to assist in the effort,” said Mike Leland, spokesperson for The Salvation Army in B.C.
“This is a tragedy unfolding and we are here for those people and communities day and night and we will be here to end and see this through into the recovery phase. This is what we do, but we don’t do it alone.”