A Richmond teacher is hoping to fill a 20-foot box truck with food and necessities to help flood-stricken B.C. residents and communities by Monday afternoon.
Riley Merrell, a teacher with the Richmond Christian School (RCS), has organized a flood relief donation truck to help those in the Fraser Valley who have been greatly impacted by the floods and landslides, which have blocked off access to many necessities during the past week’s rain and wind storms.
Merrell, who is heading the donation, said that they are aiming to fill the truck with non-perishable food, clothing, rain gear and “anything with a shelf life.”
“There’s a big call for rain jackets, rain gear and tarps, but at this moment anything and everything is being accepted as long as it has a shelf life,” he added.
Donations are being accepted at RCS’ high school campus, on No. 5 Road between Williams and Steveston Highway, on Monday, Nov. 22 between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The school and Merrell held an impromptu school assembly last Wednesday to let students and staff know of their plan.
Within 24 hours, he said, students were being dropped off by their parents with boxes of donations.
“I’m so overwhelmed by how quickly people responded. In a time of crisis we often see people just wanting to help, and being able to provide the opportunity for the community to do so is a real blessing for me when I see the amount of people showing up,” said Merrell.
He added that the school is hosting this donation event because they saw how often a lot of people outside the affected areas who want to help but are unsure how to do so.
“I have some family and close friends who have also been affected from the extremes of being evacuated to the less extreme ordeals and I wanted to do something to help as well,
“It’s beautiful to see the community coming together and helping one another and at the same time it’s heart-breaking to hear the stories of those being affected.”
The donations will be delivered to Abbotsford where they be distributed to those in need.
