Yesterday I spent the day helping out at the Edmonton Emergency Relief Society. I spent several hours sorting through donations and boxing them up so that they can be sent to Slave Lake once there are facilities in place up there to handle donations.
So far, TONS of stuff has been donated. In fact, the EERS has no more room for donations until stuff can be shipped up north. What they don't have, though, is enough volunteers to process all these donations. It's not an exciting job, but it needs to be done.
It's been amazing to see such an outpouring of support for the victims of the Slave Lake fire. But it's easy enough to give away some old clothes you don't need anymore. It takes more commitment to actually spend time working.
Now, don't get me wrong. I think donating resources is very important and should be encouraged, and I know a lot of people work during the day and can't take time to volunteer. Just remember that what is easiest for you to give might not be what is needed the most.
If you still want to do something to help the people in Slave Lake, you can donate to the Red Cross (www.redcross.ca), call the EERS and see if they need more volunteers, or hang on to your donations until there's somewhere for them to go. Thrift stores like Value Village also always accept donations, and the money always goes to a good cause.
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