EDMONTON – Five semi trucks carrying donated goods to help Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees arrived in Alberta’s capital Monday afternoon thanks to the efforts of B.C.’s Sikh community.
The goods were collected by the Lower Mainland Sikh Community before being loaded onto trucks Sunday and brought 1,139 kilometres from Surrey, B.C. to Edmonton. The community had already deployed four trucks to bring clothes, blankets and other supplies to Edmonton earlier this month and says in total, the nine trucks delivered over $1 million worth of goods to Alberta.
“I think this is the Sikh way of life you know – share with the needy people and help the humanity – that’s the core values of Sikhism,” Kulmit Sangha, with the Sikh Federation of Edmonton, said. “I feel very proud and humbled.”
The goods were brought to the Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society’s warehouse in the city’s south side.
“The Sikh community came and approached us about them wanting to come and help support us as soon as they found out that Edmonton Emergency Relief Services were going to be helping maintain the relief efforts,” Nicole Geoffroy, media relations for the Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society, said. “With the donations that have been coming in we’re going to be sure that we’re going to be able to help get all the basics to them (evacuees) as fast as we can.”
The supplies delivered Monday were collected through a one-day donation campaign in Surrey, Vancouver and Abbotsford on Saturday. Organizers said over 200 volunteers worked to collect, sort and pack the donations. They also said a group of volunteers will be taking a bus from Surrey to Alberta to help those displaced by this month’s massive wildfire in Fort McMurray.