The Clarke Creek wildfire in Kelowna reached 370 hectares in size and is now being held, meaning some 300 residents could return home as the evacuation order was downgraded to an alert on Thursday (Aug. 24).
Yvonne Pilote, a 51-year-old Aldergrove resident, was inspired to help victims of the wildfires after her daughter and her boyfriend had to evacuate his home when the West Kelowna fire jumped the Okanagan Lake to the Lake Country area.
“My daughter said she could hear houses exploding,” Pilote told the Langley Advance Times. “She’s told me that people have no water and people could really use bottled water.”
Pilote is the founder of the Bill Harron Foundation, a non-profit that has organized fundraisers for children with cancer and baseball tournaments. She created the foundation in honour of her dad who passed away from cancer.
During the last two years of the pandemic, she wasn’t able to organize fundraisers at the same capacity but gave out water to people who are homeless in the heatwave of 2021.
Her last big fundraiser in 2019 was to support an Aldergrove family whose son was battling leukemia, and through a baseball tournament fundraiser the community raised almost $6,000 for the family.
She is hoping the community can come together again to donate anything from cash or gift cards for grocery stores to baby formula, clothes, and non-perishable food items.
“I think everybody would love to do something. Just seeing the Interior on fire… if we can do something, even something small, it helps,” she said.
Dog and cat food or crates or leashes are also needed.
“It has been mentioned that animal shelters are very overwhelmed and could use items for dogs and cats,” she added.
Pilote has received donations and support from local businesses as well as FreshCo, Save-On-Foods, and Mark’s. A friend of hers reached out to drivers of a local truck company as well to get a large truck to load donations in.
Donations are scheduled to be driven to Kelowna on Saturday, Sept. 16. Pilote said she can meet people the day before (Sept. 15) at FreshCo located on Fraser Highway and 276th Street at 5 p.m. or later in the evening to accept donations.
A full list of items that are needed are as follows:
- toddler sized diapers
- baby formula
- wet wipes
- toiletries (tooth brushes/paste, shampoo, soap, toilet paper)
- non-perishable items
- clothing that’s new or in good condition (wash before donating)
- dog and cat food
“If everyone reading this could donate even $5 or $10 it would make a huge difference,” Pilote said.
Donations will be given to Mamas for Mamas, a poverty relief agency, and the Salvation Army in Kelowna.
People who want to donate can reach Pilote at thebillharronfoundation@gmail.com.
READ MORE: Lots of Lake Country residents heading home as Clarke Creek wildfire is held