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Nanaimo event raises money for Fort McMurray relief efforts

NANAIMO – North-end water supply store establishes donation centre.

A local water supply store is behind an effort to send financial aid to Fort McMurray, the northern Alberta community that has been devastated by wildfires.

From Wednesday through Friday (May 11-14), residents can make cash donations to help those displaced by wildfires in Fort McMurray at the Coastal Water Store on 6359 Hammond Bay Rd. Money donated during the four-day event will go directly to the Red Cross and residents are able to get a tax receipt.

“There will be a fire truck out front and bottles for people to put change in,” said Ron Lazlock, co-owner of Coastal Water Store.

Lazlock said his store helped out during the 2003 relief efforts for the series of fires in the Okanagan and is glad to be able to assist those in Fort McMurray, adding that many of his customers commute from Nanaimo to the oil sands.

“Fort McMurray is in our lexicon,” he said.

The Coastal Water Store is located beside the Brick and Midas on the corner of Hammond Bay Road and Island Highway. The business is a registered depot for the Canadian Red Cross’s Alberta wildfire relief efforts.

For more information, please call 250-390-3012.

In a related story, Rutherford Elementary School organized a freezie fundraiser Monday to benefit the Red Cross’ efforts to help Fort McMurray residents.

Grade 7 students and parent volunteers from Rutherford were selling, by donation, 400 freezies donated by Quality Foods.