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Catholics collect $50,000 for fire victims

By CHUCK BISHOP
Kamloops Diocesan News

BARRIERE — Coins, bills, and cheques dropped into collection plates throughout the Diocese of Kamloops account for most of the $50,000 delivered to the North Thompson Relief Fund last week.

“Parishioners gave generously when they heard the call to help those whose lives were turned upside down by this summer’s wildfires,” said Kamloops Bishop David Monroe.

“We had a special collection in August in all of the churches in the diocese, and several parishes in Vancouver also sent money to help the people suffering in the aftermath of the fires.”

Bishop Monroe was able to deliver cheques totalling $50,000 when he met with fund organizer George Evans in Barriere Sept. 25. “We are called to pray for everyone affected by the fires in British Columbia,” said Bishop Monroe. “We are also called to help everyone who has suffered material losses.”

The Kamloops Diocese includes parishes and missions across south-central B.C., from the Chilcotin country in the west to Salmon Arm and Sicamous in the east, and from Quesnel and Valemount in the north to Vernon and Lytton in the south.

The North Thompson Relief Fund was established by George Evans, supported by a board that represents area business people and includes a lawyer, an accountant, and a representative of the Salvation Army. The fund responds to needs for housing, food, transportation, and tools by the thousands of people forced to evacuate in the face of the Strawberry Hill fire near Kamloops and the McLure fire in the Louis Creek / Barriere area. These fires destroyed homes and businesses, cut power and telephone lines, and closed the Yellowhead highway for weeks in August. To date the fund has raised in excess of $2 million.

“We’re here to fill the gaps between federal, provincial, and Red Cross disaster relief programs,” Evans said Friday.

“There’s real need out there and the public response has been tremendous. Among other projects, we’re already supporting cleanup by Mennonite Relief Fund volunteers and some rebuilding by Habitat for Humanity, and we’ll be funding the Barriere Food Bank over the winter.”

In Vancouver, Archbishop Adam Exner, OMI, is asking parishioners to support Canadian Red Cross fire relief efforts.