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Abbotsford businesses and individuals step up to help wildfire evacuees

Donations collected of food, clothing and pet items
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Bosley’s Pet Food Plus on Whatcom Road filled these vehicles with pet-related items that were delivered over the weekend to Kamloops in support of animals impacted by the wildfires.

Some local businesses and individuals have stepped up to help people and pets impacted by wildfires across B.C.

Among these are Bosley’s Pet Food Plus on Whatcom Road, which last week invited the public to make donations of dog and cat food, kennels, beds, rabbit food, hay and more.

The result was enough items to fill a 53-foot trailer, a horse trailer and a hay trailer to deliver the goods – including 250 bales of hay – on Sunday to two locations in Kamloops, including the Four Paws Food Bank, which has set up a makeshift animal shelter outside the evacuation centre.

The Bosley’s location at 2362 Whatcom Rd. is continuing to collect donations, with plans for another delivery to Kamloops.

Also assisting with animal donations is an individual, Brittany Ford. The Abbotsford woman, who is an avid horse rider and has fond memories of summers spent in Princeton, put out a plea over social media last Tuesday (July 11).

She wrote that she was planning to drive up to Princeton and would take any pet-related donations that people wanted to provide.

By Thursday, she had enough items – including at least 300 bales of hay – to fill four trucks and trailers.

Ford’s collection included a truck full of donations – such as pet food, kennels and beds – from the Langley Animal Protection Society.

The items collected by Ford also included clothing and toiletries for the evacuees.

They were delivered on Saturday, and Ford is continuing to collect donations, with plans to drop them off this weekend, perhaps in Merritt or Kamloops.

Anyone with donations to make can call Ford at 604-866-5876 or message her via Facebook.

Meanwhile, among those collecting items for evacuees is The Postmen, a group that provides immediate relief to communities and people in need when disaster happens. The group was formed after the Fort MacMurray wildfire last year.

The Postmen have arranged with Cabela’s at 1818 McCallum Rd. to set up a collection bin inside the front entrance. Items being accepted include toiletries, diapers, baby food/formula, gas cards, gift cards, medical supplies, phone chargers, socks, pyjamas, Gatorade, granola bars and more.

The goods will be accepted until this Saturday at 4 p.m. and transported to the Kamloops evacuation centre the following day.

The Bhangra Dance Academy has also been collecting donations for the evacuees, including water, Gatorade and non-perishable food.

Donations can still be dropped off tonight (Wednesday) from 5 to 9 p.m. at 2464 Clearbrook Rd. Arrangements for pickup can also be made by calling or texting 778-344-4100.

The goods will be delivered to the Salvation Army in Chilliwack for distribution to evacuation centres where needed.

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Brittany Ford of Abbotsford stands among items donated by the Langley Animal Protection Society. The goods were among four truckloads of items that Ford collected to help wildfire evacuees and their pets.


Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
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