A clothing drive which started off as a small collection of items for firefighters in Fort McMurray turned into a massive stockpile of goods worth between $15,000-$20,000 wrapped up Sunday and the goods were successfully delivered to Fort Mac.
An enclosed trailer full of socks, t-shirts, underwear, and toiletries was gathered at Drumheller Chrysler this weekend and has already made its way to the firefighters stationed in Fort McMurray.
“We put out a post (online) and in a day, Drumheller came through again,” said organizer Jamie Worman, who, along with seven other volunteers, spent seven hours this weekend sorting and loading the goods into a transport trailer that was provided by Baseline Earthworks in Brooks.
The clothing drive was started by Ariana Mancini, a Drumheller native and the wife of a Fort McMurray firefighter, who was displaced from her home last Tuesday and returned to Drumheller.
Mancini initially started the drive to fill her SUV with fresh clothing items for the firefighters like her husband who were battling the blaze up north, and who were without access to laundry services.
“(I was) in touch with my husband and others who are there and learned of the simple living conditions,” said Mancini.
She organized for the items to be delivered to RCMP at the base of Highway 63, the access point to Fort McMurray about 244 kilometres south of the city where it meets Highway 55. RCMP stationed there to block traffic into the city, agreed to ensure the delivery of the items into Fort Mac.
Early Sunday morning the goods left Drumheller and successfully made it to Fort McMurray.
“All donations by far exceeded what we thought,” said Mancini. “The heart of Drumheller has always been in the right place and I knew that the whole time I lived here.”
Jamie Worman told The Mail that organizers are still encouraging residents to make donations to the evacuees of Fort McMurray.
Top Rocker in Rosedale is taking donations Wednesday to Sunday. There are two cargo trailers parked there, which will be delivered to Fort Mac as they are filled with toiletries and clothing.
