In less than a week, a local woman inspired the community to donate and fill two large sea containers with essential supplies for wildfire evacuees.
Petrolia's Brooke Schrijver said watching the devastation and impacts the wildfires were having on residents in Northern Ontario, she felt a responsibility to do something to help.
"And then I went to my employer at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, and we actually have a yard in Thunder Bay and colleagues who are actively fighting the fires, so Ritchie Bros. thus agreed to pay for a truck to get up there, if I were to do the donations," said Schrijver.
She said her friend Matt Campbell at Rowcliffe Trucking in Hensall offered to bring a 40-foot sea container to Thunder Bay.
"Upon booking the truck, I immediately called my neighbour and friend at Weslane Farms Tim and Stacey Williams who are deeply rooted in the community," said Schrijver. "I called them and they helped me get the word out quick. We also put a poster out on Facebook that went, I would say semi-viral, leading to multiple donation locations to fill the container."
She said they collected so much, they needed a second 40-foot container, which was set up at Weslane Farms.
In a just a couple of days, both containers were full of clothes donations, toiletries, diapers, shoes and non-perishable food items. Stacey Williams said the generosity of the community has been overwhelming.
"A huge thank you," said Williams. "It shows just how much people care and they're willing to come together and jump in and help everybody. It is amazing."
Schrijver is also thanking the community for their support and generosity.
"This, what was at the time just a small idea, would not have been possible without my neighbors at Weslane Farms, and would not be possible without the community within Petrolia and Lambton County, and surrounding counties," she said.
As of Tuesday, July 21, over 1,800 people have been evacuated from their homes across Northern Ontario as nearly 200 wildfires continue to burn across the province.
The fires last week prompted air quality warnings to be issued across the province, including in Sarnia-Lambton.
