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Otter Co-op and Otter shoppers donate $30K to wildfire relief

Donations by members and guests matched by federated Co-op
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This was a picture taken of the wildfire at Cache Creek before the town was evacuated. Otter Co-op’s retail and gas bar locations took donations and with matching from Federated Co-op, there is now $30,000 going to the Canadian Red Cross to help wildfire relief efforts. Supplied photo

The Canadian Red Cross will have $30,000 added to the BC Wildfire relief fund thanks to generous donations from Otter Co-op shoppers throughout the Lower Mainland and Okanagan, which were then matched by the Langley store.

Federated Co-operatives Limited in Saskatoon quickly stepped up to match Otter Co-op’s donation.

“Otter Co-op is committed to our value of community – we care about people, and supporting the communities in which we live, work and play,” said CEO Jack Nicholson.

“Our members and guests have been extremely generous in their donations towards this very worthy cause, and our board of directors immediately stepped up to match donations up to $10,000 to support the ongoing efforts of the Red Cross, assisting those in need from the forest fires,” said Nicholson.

“Otter Co-op is collecting cash donations at all Otter sites located throughout the Lower Mainland, as well as our sites in Penticton and Armstrong, as many of our team and guests have family or friends directly affected by the fires and we want to help” he said.

“Our Feed Division has also assisted the animals affected by the fires with donations of feed and supplies in the amount of $5,000, being distributed through our network of feed dealers in the Interior.”

In early July, Otter Co-op started taking donations at the cash register at its Aldergrove shopping centre, gas bar and at its retail locations in Pitt Meadows, as well as gas bars in Ladner, Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hatzic.

SEE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

The Federated Co-op matched local donations.

“Federated Co-op has a donation matching plan in place to work with local Co-ops and their fundraising efforts,” said Dave Dyck, Associate Vice President, Federated Co-op Ltd of the Calgary Region.

“We will be matching the Otter Co-op’s donation of $10,000, bringing the total donation to the Red Cross to $30,000 — with all of these funds going directly to the BC wildfire efforts. In total, Federated Co-op has committed $1 million over five years to the Canadian Red Cross in support of their Disaster Management Program across Western Canada.”

The Canadian Red Cross helps vulnerable communities in Canada and around the world affected by emergencies and disasters — situations ranging from individual house fires to floods that disrupt entire regions.

Following a disaster in Canada, Red Cross workers provide vital assistance for people’s basic needs including shelter, family reunification assistance, finding support, first aid, information, clothing and food. They work in partnership with first responders, emergency managers and public officials to support their response activities.



Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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