Food Bank Grateful for Staff and Volunteers During Wildfire Threat

The Executive Director of the Nicola Valley Food Bank has high praise for the local community for stepping up in recent weeks during the wildfire tragedies that have shaken the region.

Derlanda Hewton, told Q101 that since the Lytton Creek Fire destroyed the community of Lytton on June 30, the Food Bank team and countless volunteers have been helping those displaced by the fire with food and accessories from the Elks Hall in Merritt and she could not be more proud.

“We’ve been extremely busy, we opened the Elks Hall for evacuees for any supplies they needed,” Hewton said. ” We were able to provide tent, propane stoves, and other accessories for those who many were just able to leave with what they had on their back.”

Hewton, who was also forced to evacuate her home in Lower Nicola when the TNRD order was declared on Aug. 15th to evacuate because of the Lytton Creek and July Mountain wildfires.  She said she certainly understood what the evacuees were going through.

“It was a scary situation for every one. We (Lower Nicola residents) went immediately into an evacuation order and had an hour to get our belongings together,” she added. ” I can certainly appreciate where the other evacuees from Lytton and Logan Lake are coming from.”

The Executive Director of the non-profit organization commended her staff, the board of directors and countless volunteers who helped with the distribution of emergency supplies over the past few weeks.

“My team has been going non-stop since day one and I couldn’t be more proud,” she noted. “Everyone stepped up and did our best to make those people who were forced to flee their homes feel safe as we could.”

Hewton added that as of Friday the Elks Hall in Merritt site will no longer in operation however those that require anything can contact the food bank via social media.