Canada bans together for Fort McMurray

By Laura Bohnert

If there is one bright side shining through the smoke, flames, and destruction in Fort McMurray right now, it is the outpouring of humanity that has shown itself in the face of this tragedy.

Across the country—and with support even popping up from across the globe—Canadians are rallying together for the people of Fort McMurray in the face of the wildfire that has forced approximately 80,000 Albertans from their homes. And, no-one has shown their support like the people of Alberta.

Politicians may be promising assistance, but it is the people of Alberta who have banded together, the companies and local businesses who have opened their doors to offer accommodations and supplies—for fellow humans and four-legged evacuees alike—and the everyday Alberta citizens who are opening their doors, offering their camp sites and RVs, who are planning rescue missions for the animals that have been left behind, who are donating time and money to fill trailer loads of supplies or to host fundraisers and barbecues, and who are driving up and down Highway 63 with supplies for people who have had to leave everything behind.

And, Whitecourt is at the top of the list when it comes to the people who are giving their all to help.

As Clara Gann, manager of Global Pet Foods in Whitecourt, reports, “Whitecourt is full of amazing people doing their best to help the people [and pets] of Fort McMurray.”

“Global Pets is offering store-wide discounts on food and supplies to donate to the people of Fort McMurray,” Gann explains. “It began when Tracy [Komar] from HAB Industries posted that they are accepting donations for food and pet supplies to distribute to Microtel, where a lot of evacuees are staying. She then contacted Global Pets.”

“If anyone is interested in making a donation, they can leave their donations here or take them to HAB Industries,” Gann adds.

But that isn’t all. Soon after, REJ’s Pipefitting gave Global Pet Foods an open-ended cheque and $1,000 worth of gift cards, Gann explains: “Basically, if anyone from Fort McMurray comes into Global Pets in need of pet supplies, their bill will be covered 100 per cent free of charge.”

“A lot of people are staying in town with relatives and friends, or with people who have opened their doors to help,” Gann adds.  “In a blink of an eye this could easily have been us. We have to stand up and help each other in a time of need like this. In the face of such devastation, every little bit of kindness can help relieve the burden, whether it’s where they are getting their next bag of dog food or their next meal.”

“It’s the Alberta way,” Gann adds. “We want to relieve pressure of what these people are going through.”

And Global Pets isn’t the only company ready to help out. As Kelly Sadoway, Manager of Recreation at the Allan & Jean Millar Centre, states, “Remax and Microtel Inn and Suites are doing lots to help including hosting a barbecue and collecting items for the people who are staying in the hotel.” And, the Allan & Jean Millar Centre is offering free facility use to Fort McMurray evacuees, too.

“People are welcome to come to the Allan & Jean Millar Centre for free for a chance to play and have some fun,” explains Sadoway. In addition, “the Town of Whitecourt has been similar to the rest of the province in encouraging people who want to help to donate to the Red Cross.”

“It’s important to help because these are fellow Albertans,” Sadoway adds. “Any day, this could be us, and we would want someone to help—we need to all stick together.”

The Original Joe’s at the Whitecourt location feels the same way.  On Thursday, May 5, the servers and bartenders donated all their tips for the day to the Red Cross to help the displaced residents of Fort McMurray.

“We ended up raising $3,260,” states General Manager Ellen Elton, “which is pretty incredible, and now one of the girls at the Original Joe’s test kitchen store on Macleod Trail in Calgary saw what we were doing and said it inspired them to do the same.”

“We like to help—that’s who we are,” Elton explains. “We believe in taking care of our community, and Fort McMurray is our community. They are people just like us, and we have to pull together to help them.”

“We had a few people in from Fort McMurray on Thursday, and we bought their dinners for them,” Elton adds. “There were tears.  You could feel the emotion and how traumatic this is for them.  We want to be welcoming, and we want for everybody to feel that we care and love our fellow people.”

Whitecourt’s Original Joe’s also sold cupcakes this past Sunday to raise money for the pets who got left behind, and they have more plans for fundraising events to come.

“It’s something amazing,” Elton concludes. “What’s happened is terrible, but it brings joy to the heart to see how everyone pulls together—to see the humanity. It’s really touching, and it makes you feel proud to see what people are doing to help.”