By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

How to Help Evacuees of Fort McMurray Fire

May 5, 2016 | 2:55 PM

LETHBRIDGE – As nearly 90,000 evacuees fled Fort McMurray and surrounding communities, local businesses from across the province have shown their support through donations and the City of Lethbridge is no exception when it comes to this altruism.

While generous hearts may mean well, a crisis of this magnitude requires strategic donations.

YMMFire.ca has issued a statement covering how you can help.

Donations

At this time, the only needs are: diapers, baby wipes, new toiletries, new socks, new underwear and pillows. Donations can be dropped off at the depot at 10255 104 Street, Edmonton.

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Cash donations are best made to the Red Cross.

Emergency Animal Placement

If you can help with temporary homes for animals, both pets and livestock, please fill out the form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bPihncs6ERKGRMxjW

Pam Goodyear, Public Relations Director for the Salvation Army for Edmonton and Northern Alberta, tells us that many people may want to donate used clothing and furniture but those items are not needed immediately.

“When we had the flood before people came with a tractor trailer, dropped it off and left. The reality is that a lot of that stuff ended up going into a landfill site. What can people do with it when they are sleeping at a camp site or their car,” she said.

Goodyear said that money donated to www.salvationarmy.ca will be used to assist first responders and evacuees first and leftover money will go towards directly supporting families who have lost their home.

Marjorie Bencz, Executive Director for Edmonton Food Bank echoed this message, and asked for Albertans to first donate to the Red Cross and then bring their non-perishable food items to the food bank for distribution to various centres.

Local Lethbridge Businesses Collecting Donations

• Cargill Lethbridge will set up boxes to collect donations for the Edmonton Food Bank in both the ATL Elevator and Crop Input location. They are specifically asking for donations of canned goods and new toiletries.

Cargill is accepted donations until Friday at 5 p.m. at the ATL location and until 6:30 p.m. at the Crop Inputs Location, for donations to be dropped off in Edmonton on Saturday.  

• Pedersen Transport / TST are collecting donations at 2915 5th Avenue North

Pedersen Transport / TST is also offering that any group collecting donations can contact them to ship collections free of charge.

• Bridge City Chrysler is matching dollar for dollar in community donations at the dealership.

They are accepting donations of blankets and water, to be delivered on May 13.

• Nieboer Farm Supplies will load up a 48-foot trailer and are looking for non-perishables and baby food. Nieboer Farm Supplies said that they will take the truck as soon as it is full.