Effective September 19th - this page is no longer being updated. 

  Charitable Donation Funds   Donation Locations   Donation Requests

Free Offers of Assistance to Evacuees/ Firefighters

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Charitable Donation Funds
Kelowna and Area Okanagan Fire Recovery Trust Fund: The City of Kelowna has established the Kelowna and Area Okanagan Fire Recovery Trust Fund to help rebuild lives and areas that were directly impacted by the Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park forest fire. Donations can be made at any Scotiabank branch in Canada to account number 80150-00058-19. Cheques should be made payable to the City of Kelowna Fire Recovery. Charitable donation tax receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more. Press Release.

Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration: The process of rebuilding the Kettle Valley Rail Trail through historic Myra Canyon and area has begun and donations are now being accepted to start the process. The Kelowna and Area Okanagan Fire Recovery Trust Fund now has a sub-account specifically for the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration.  Click here to donate to the trestle restoration online.  

Only four wooden trestles remain 1, 12, 16, 17.  The wood decks on the metal trestles 6 and 8 have been burned off. See maps for trestle placement. (Map 1 JPG 42K) (Map 2 GIF 87K)  See also our photo gallery for trestle pictures.

The Red Cross has established a B.C. Fire Relief Fund that you can contribute to by calling 1-800-418-1111 or via the internet at https://secure.csfm.com/redcross/. The Kelowna office is at 2280B Leckie Road - office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m.

The Central Okanagan Foundation has set up a fire relief fund.  See full press release for details.

Okanagan Fire Relief - Donation Web Site - Acro Media has set up a dedicated web site for those wishing to donate money to the families affected by the Okanagan fires. Donations can be made online using Visa or MasterCard. Money collected will be given to the charitable organizations assisting in the fire relief for the Okanagan.  For questions or more information, contact Paul Kiefte at [email protected] 

ADRA (Aventist Development and Relief Agency) is a non-profit, charitable organization, that offers relief to disaster victims and it develops programmes.  They are accepting goods donations at their warehouse at 2300 Leckie Road.

Trails BC is working with private and public partners to establish a Trestle & Trail Building Fund. Trails BC can accept donations and issue tax-deductible receipts. The fund will go toward rebuilding the Myra Canyon Trestles as well as the peripheral Trans Canada Trail infrastructure such as repairing route damage, replacing trail marker signs and installing route maps."

Donations can be made to Trails BC at 315 - 1367 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 4A9.
Or at Mountain Equipment Co-op at 150 West Broadway in Vancouver.

A Trails BC Membership/Donation form is available on the web site at http://www.trailsbc.ca See also PDF 407K.

SPCA: The SPCA is issuing an urgent appeal for funds to deal with housing needs pets it has housed as a result of the forest fires. Click to donate online or call 1-800-665-1868  Buckerfields at Springfield and Spall is also accepting money donations on behalf of the SPCA for feed etc.

Noah's Wish: Noah's Wish is trained in emergency response for animals and is set up at the Parkinson Rec. Center.  In demand is cash donations, crates of assorted sizes, name tags, polaroid 600 film, Canadian Tire gift cards/money.  Phone 763-8732 or donate via their website.

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Silk FM:  Yellow Ribbon Campaign - Show your support of the firefighters and stop by Silk FM at 1598 Pandosy, and pick up your yellow ribbon.  By Donation.  All proceeds to the fire relief fund.

Safeway: Employees and customer donations will be matched dollar for dollar and donated to the red Cross Fire Relief Fund.

Wal-Mart: All 22 BC Wal-Mart stores are now fund raising and Wal-Mart Canada will match every dollar donated.  All monies raised will go to the Yellow Ribbon Campaign.

Canadian Tire: Owner Keith Gostlin will match every dollar donated.

Sears: Sears will be making a $10,000 donation and will also accept any of their customers donations which will go to the Red Cross Fire Relief Fund.

London Drugs: All BC London Drugs sores are taking part in raising funds which go to the Red Cross Relief Fund.  As of September 10th, $114,000 has been raised.

The Bay and Zellers: Donate your HBC Reward points and Hudson's Bay Company will convert them to dollars and donate them to the Red Cross Relief Fund.

Coopers: Coopers Foods has donated $2,000 and will accept your donation.

Save on Foods: Donate your points and Save on Foods will donate a dollar for each 1,000 points donated and match with another dollar, which will be donated ti the Red Cross Relief Fund.

Bone Appetite : Anybody wanting to donate money to buy food for animals please drop  donations off at Bone Appetite on Kane Rd in Glenmore.

Westbank Animal Care Hospital : There is an account set up under "Noah's Wish Animal Fund" at Westbank Animal Care Hospital that is receiving donations for use by folks with animals in need of care, or who require special diets etc. Please contact the clinic at 768-4688 to arrange to drop off a donation or for mailing information. 

Buckerfields:  Buckerfields located at Springfield and Spall is accepting money donations on behalf of the SPCA for feed etc.

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• RentBC has created a Community Listing Board where people and companies looking to provide help and people needing help can list and look for short term housing (hotels, B&B's etc.) , shared accommodation, storage, animal care and services. There is also a link to the Castanet rental listing classifieds which is free to search and post during this time of crisis.
• Trinity Baptist Church is a place where evacuees can come for lodging and food. We still have many beds available. Bedding and supplies have been donated by businesses in our city. Trinity Baptist Church 1905 Springfield Road Kelowna, BC V1Y 7V7 (250) 860-3273 Fax: (250) 860-9466
• A number of Whistler accommodation properties are offering assistance to the fire victims and evacuees. Participating properties will provide accommodation on a complimentary basis while the evacuation order is in place, based on availability at time of booking.  Kelowna residents requiring accommodation simply need to call Tourism Whistler's toll-free central reservations line at 1-800-WHISTLER and identify themselves as a Kelowna resident from the affected area. Upon check-in at the hotel, identification will be requested to confirm home address.
• Voyager RV has numerous Travel Trailers, and 5th. wheel homes that are furnished and can be financed up to 15 years with no money down (OAC). They can be prepaid with no penalty or the initial payment can be deferred for up to 6 months. Those who lost their homes can move in quickly, on their own property, during reconstruction. As these homes have holding tanks Voyager RV can provide them with portable "Totes" which can be taken to a sanitary station for dumping. When they are finished with the RV they have the option of selling it privately or we will be pleased to sell it for them. Voyager RV does not charge for this service. This could be much less than renting. Please call Dennis at 250 766 4607 or 800 668 1447 for more info.
• Lifemark has a large clinic on Ambrosi by Art Knapp's and can offer their facility for showering, etc for any volunteers who need it.  Call 860-4122 and ask for Jamie MacGregor or Jennifer Olsen for more info.

• Energy for Life Wellness Center (Unit 11 - 605 KLO Rd. in Mission Park) is offering the following services as long as the need is present:  Pulsed Electro Magnetic treatments for injuries sustained by either the firefighters or any of the evacuated residents (including children).  Treatments also available for fire distress citizens for stress relief, exhaustion,  lung disorders, sleep disorders, or any other stress or lack of energy related conditions. Treatments are non-invasive and painless, with no negative side-effects and last between 15 and 45 minutes.  Call 717-1831 for appointment. Treatments will begin on Tuesday September 2. Firefighters and children will be treated at NO CHARGE. Donations accepted from adults.
• The Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society is offering support to residents of the Okanagan Mission that are affected by the Fires in Okanagan Mountain.  Staff are volunteering counseling and support services free of charge to individuals that may need extra emotional support during this time.  Call 763-4613 to arrange and an appointment.
• Likemark Health Okanagan is offering free physiotherapy and orthopedic medical attention for any firefighters and volunteers who are injured while doing their part with the fire.
• Kelowna-area Registered Psychologists and other mental health professionals are offering limited duration counseling free of charge to evacuees, 911 personnel, and their families affected by the Okanagan Mountain and related fires. Please call the Kelowna Professional Group at 762-2525 for assistance weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM through September 30, 2003.
• Energy for Life Wellness Center located at Unit 11 - 605 KLO Rd. in the Mission Park Shopping is offering the following free service to firefighters and children as long as the need is present starting September 2nd. Call 717-1831 for appointment.  Recent injuries such as sprains, strains, bruises, fractures or burns repair 2 to 3 times faster with our treatments. Most serious burns heal with NO scars.
• The Kelowna Chiropractic Centre is offering urgent chiropractic services to those involved in fighting the fires. We are about a 1-2 minute drive down from the kelowna fire department on Enterprise way. We are in the Cooper centre plaza and are directly behind Wendy's on Hwy 97.
• True Connections, a Kelowna-based non-profit society which provides personal growth programs, life coaching and counseling services, youth retreats, leadership and relationship development workshops, is reaching out to help our community by offering an eight week program on Dealing with Loss and Sustaining Community Spirit. This is True Connections' gift to the Okanagan community and will be held at no cost.
  
  True Connections along with the Mekong Restaurant is hosting six Wednesday evening sessions running from Sept 10th to October 15th. Please pre-register by the previous Tuesday 4:00 p.m. Call True Connections at (250) 763-5556.
   

• Vancouver Career College is continuing to offer use of their computers for e-mail and news updates to evacuees and fire victims.  The service is available 1pm - 6 pm Mon - Fri.   # 200 - 410 Bernard Avenue Kelowna BC V1Y 6N7. Phone 763-5800.

• Search Engine Position is offering computer and Internet access to Kelowna residents who have had to evacuate their homes.  The company will make up to 20 computers available.  Staff will be on hand to help people access their email accounts and for other assistance.  For more information you can contact Searchengineposition at 861-5252.

• Simply Computing Kelowna is opening its doors and computer access to all forest fire evacuees. Enabling them to email out-of-town friends and relatives on their well-being. Visit 543 Lawrence Ave. Phone 861-8340 
• Cyber Zone still has 40 LAN Gaming Stations of 105 open for kids having been evacuated. To play for free. This should help as parents are implementing a plan.

• Ricki's and Bootlegger in Orchard Park Shopping Centre is giving 25% Discount on all clothing to all evacuees. To receive this discount you must bring your evacuation forms and valid identification. The discount will continue until further notice.
• Apple Blossom, Crosstown, Home Style, Kelly's, Henderson, Busy Bee, Minnella, Kelowna Crossing, Quality, Capri, Mission, and Glenmore dry cleaners are offering free uniform cleaning for fire fighters and RCMP through September 15th.