Cobb >> Despite losing all their possessions in the Valley Fire, despite months of hardship and pain, South Lake County residents are far from lacking in generosity. Without being asked or promoted, a number of citizens have funded a couple’s journey to Canada to deliver winter clothing to the survivors of the Fort McMurray fire.
Just days after the Alberta fire, Larry and Sue Allen, a couple helping to run the Valley Fire Recovery Center at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Cobb, felt a strong need to help. There wasn’t much of a debate. Larry Allen and his wife had a brief discussion in which they both agreed they should go, and that was that.
“We experienced our fire and we had lots of donations of coats and winter clothing and we are going to be clothed before our winter comes,” Larry Allen said. “Their winter is going to be much more harsh than ours.”
Allen made a post on the center’s Facebook page — Cobb Mountain Donations and Available — informing people that they would be hauling goods north. It was nothing more than an announcement. He didn’t really expect what came next.
“I don’t remember soliciting and suddenly the checks started rolling in,” he said. “We collected over $2,000 in donations to help with the trip.”
The Allens will use what they need for gas and expenses and the rest will be given to the same charity where they will be taking the clothes.
Although bringing in enough money to make the drive was unexpectedly easy, the practical aspects of the trip turned out to be more challenging. There was a tremendous amount of red tape to cut through when taking a trailer full of boxes across an international border. The Allens needed a letter from the charity accepting the goods, plus an inventory of their items. Fortunately, there were plenty of people willing to help.
Allen admitted that he isn’t the greatest at wading through mountains of paperwork, so he reached out to an old coworker at the Middletown School District — where Allen taught the 5th grade for years — for her help.
Diane Trudeau didn’t hesitate to agree.
Another individual who was instrumental in helping the Allens get across the border was Susan Gleason, a regular volunteer at the Little Red Schoolhouse and, incidentally, a retired border customs broker. Upon hearing about the Allen’s difficulties, she offered to contact some people she knew and work out just what they needed to do.
Wednesday morning, after loading up the trailer with coats, hats, scarves, gloves, boots and the like — sorted by size and gender — the Allens set off for Canada. Without the ceaseless work of Trudeau and Gleason, it may never have happened.
Stacey Ramsey was also a huge help, lending his trailer — which belongs to his security company, complete with logos plastered across the outside — for the trip.
The couple also ran into trouble finding a charity who was actually willing to accept the winter clothing. Most organizations they contacted wanted money, so that they could go out and buy items themselves. Having spent the last nine months running a donation center, the Allens understood that desire, but they were adamant about donating the clothing that hadn’t been claimed. Volunteers at the Valley Fire Recovery Center had already done the leg work: sorting clothes, throwing out the soiled items, folding and categorizing everything. The Allens just needed somewhere to hand them over.
It took some searching, but they did find a charity in Edmonton willing to accept the items. And thanks to the work already completed, the charity’s experience will be a far cry from what places like the Little Red Schoolhouse had to deal with. “They wont run into what we ran into which is a mountain of stuff. Much of it had to be discarded,” Allen said. “If it had stains or smells or holes, if we wouldn’t wear it we were throwing it out. We ended up with good quality stuff.”
The Allens are planning to make the trip as quick as possible. They’ll be delivering the goods, giving greetings and well-wishes and heading back home. It’s not a vacation.
“It’s a mission,” Allen said.
Just this Tuesday was the Fort McMurray fire declared contained. It destroyed approximately 2,400 homes and buildings, resulting in the largest wildfire evacuation in the history of Alberta. This story is one Lake County residents know all too well. So it’s not difficult to see why so many were eager to help in any way they could.
“It’s really important to note that people who lost everything in our Valley Fire reached deep into their pockets and handed us their money. It’s just amazing,” Allen said. “My faith in humanity is not resorted because I’ve always had faith in humanity, but it is validated.”
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
