An effort to cook up funds for residents of B.C. communities affected by this summer’s wildfires raised more than $21,000.
Staff at White Rock’s Charlie Don’t Surf restaurant committed to donating tips earned during shifts on July 20 to the Canadian Red Cross 2021 BC Fires appeal.
READ MORE: White Rock restaurant staff to donate tips for Lytton
That amount – $3,506.82 – was matched by the restaurant owners. Add in the federal and provincial governments’ commitment to match every dollar that is donated to the cause, and the grand total hits $21,040.92, said Kyle Grant, assistant general manager at Charlie’s.
“The staff put in some long hours, and the environment was incredible,” Grant told Peace Arch News Wednesday. “Yesterday our family (staff, owners, and customers) showed what makes Charlie’s, and White Rock in general… truly special.”
The fundraiser – which also collected on-site donations – was organized following the devastation caused by the wildfires in Lytton and other B.C. communities.
The aim was to “pack the place and raise as much as possible,” Grant said in announcing the event last week.
“On (July 20), the residents of Lytton and others that will receive Red Cross support over this incredibly hard wildfire season will be a part of the Charlie’s family.”
On the day of the fundraiser, with the wildfire situation in the Interior worsening and the prospect of “mass evacuations” at 100 Mile House and other communities under evacuation orders or alerts, B.C. imposed a province-wide state of emergency.
As of this morning (July 22), there are 275 active wildfires in the province, according to information on the B.C. Wildfire Dashboard.
READ MORE: B.C. declares state of emergency over wildfire season, preparing for potential ‘mass evacuation’
tholmes@peacearchnews.com
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