~ For Immediate Release ~
The Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Society is pleased to announce our partnership between the Kermode Friendship Centre, Prince Rupert Friendship House and the Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre, to provide much needed emergency support to the communities in the Okanagan currently deeply impacted by the forest fires.
In response to the Kermonde Friendship Centre taking the lead and seeking donated items, the three Executive Directors met online, together with the Executive Director of the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, to discuss and identify supports needed by the impacted Okanagan communities.
Donations were delivered to Ki-Low-Na Friendship Centre to support those who have been displaced due to the forest fires.
“We are honoured to work alongside the Kermode Friendship Centre and the Prince Rupert Friendship House in this response. This partnership speaks to the Friendship Centre movement and our ability to respond and take leadership, responding to needs when they arise and meeting our communities where they are,” says Annette Morgan, Executive Director of the Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Society.
The Friendship Centre’s are currently working on a plan to deliver a truck load of supplies to the the Kelowna Friendship Centre’s drop off station. This response will ensure that together as communities, we support families and provide emergency items to those displaced within the community. Items being donated and delivered through this partnership range from hygiene kits with soaps, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, to clothing, linens and blankets, diapers and baby wipes, as well as non-perishable food items, baby food and snacks, bottled water and activities for children.
Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre staff receive the donation of children’s craft kits from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en.
The Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre acknowledges the quick action and hard work of our staff from both our Smithers and Houston centres. We wish to thank the Salvation Army in Smithers for their generous donations of much needed items. The Friendship centre also wishes to specifically acknowledge the donations from many individual community members from Smithers, Houston Witset and the Hazletons who made extremely generous donations.
“The response has been very impressive, from throughout the community. The Office of the Wetsuwet’en Early Years program itself created 20 craft kit packages for children at such short notice which also includes toothpaste and tooth brushes. This heartfelt gift and the cards that were included in each of the donation bins, shows the care being put into this response,” says Annette Morgan.
Media contact:
Annette Morgan, Executive Director, Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Society
executive.director@dzelkant.com