A group of Vernon businesswomen have come up with their own way to lend a hand with the ongoing wildfire situation.

Alison Ludditt, Lisa Gallie and Li Fryling have opened a donation centre to support the hundreds of evacuees from the Central Okanagan who have arrived at Vernon含羞草研究社檚 Emergency Support Service (ESS) reception centre at Kal Tire Place Arena.

With wildfires raging in the Central Okanagan and Shuswap, Ludditt, like many other Vernonites, desperately wanted to help in some way. However, Vernon含羞草研究社檚 ESS had all the volunteers it needed.

Ludditt heard from a friend who was an ESS volunteer that donations of food, clothes and other items were needed, but the city couldn含羞草研究社檛 accomodate the collection.

After Gallie began inviting people to drop off donations at her store, Big Sun, Ludditt 含羞草研究社� owner of The Room Collection 含羞草研究社攈ad the idea to offer up her furniture warehouse to collect, sort and store donated items.

People are welcome to come by the back of the warehouse at 907 Kalamalka Lake Rd., where already a team of volunteers has come out of the woodwork to accept donations.

含羞草研究社淧eople are just itching to do something to help,含羞草研究社� Ludditt said. 含羞草研究社淲e all feel so lucky and so grateful that this year it含羞草研究社檚 not us, and the minute Lisa put out the word to drop donations at Big Sun, people started showing up. And then as soon as we said we have a warehouse for your stuff, they came in droves.含羞草研究社�

The women have set up a 含羞草研究社渇ree store含羞草研究社� at Kal Tire Place 含羞草研究社� a trailer filled with donated goods that evacuees and firefighters can help themselves to.

They started the initiative Monday morning and will be at the warehouse tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., when the free store will also be available.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 been unbelievable. Businesses that have shown up with $1,000 to $2,000 worth of donations, and just all the humans that are really wanting to help, they show up with boxes of diapers and juice boxes and snacks for the firefighters,含羞草研究社� said Ludditt, adding Vegpro in Lavington donated 700 bags of salad yesterday.

Ludditt knew there would be evacuees forced from their homes in need of basic items, but was surprised to learn that the firefighters are in need of items too.

含羞草研究社淭hey are not being nourished as well as they should be,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淭hey are getting meals but they need energy drinks and protein bars and chocolate and all these things just to boost them up, because they are working 18 hours at a time.含羞草研究社�

Firefighters are also in need of fresh fruit and vegetables, Ludditt said.

While the women have been authorized by Vernon含羞草研究社檚 ESS to bring donations to Kal Tire Place, no one else has that authorization. The women are asking people to bring donations to the warehouse as the ESS does not have the resources to process donated items.

All donations must be new, as required by the ESS.

Check out the Instagram accounts of and for updates on which items are needed at a given time.

Items currently in need include:

含羞草研究社� Men含羞草研究社檚 and women含羞草研究社檚 clothing

含羞草研究社� Baby formula

含羞草研究社� Bottles of juice, pop

含羞草研究社� Protein drinks in plastic bottles

含羞草研究社� shampoo, conditioner, hair brushes

含羞草研究社� Soap and deodorant (male and female)

含羞草研究社� Diapers

含羞草研究社� Phone chargers

Ludditt says the team will continue to help for as long as needed, and with more firefighters coming to the area, she expects the need to last 含羞草研究社渇or quite a while.含羞草研究社�

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