Neighbours helping Neighbours

I am sure you have seen these images in newspapers and on the news over the past few days.

Could you image this is your house and there is nothing you can do.

You return to this...this WAS your hour house.

This tragedy really hit me hard. Not sure why, but it did. There have been many disasters occurring in the world like tsunamis, tornadoes, earthquakes...just to name a few. I literally cried when I saw some of these pictures, especially the ones of people standing in front of the charred remains of their home.

But these are pictures of hope. A reaction to the pictures above. A woman named Tara Wilkins got something very cool going today. She said she made a million phone calls...well they were worth it because Kindersley Transport donated a truck that was parked in a Wal-mart parking lot that collected donations all day to go to Slave Lake.

This got me going. I shared what she was doing on Facebook and within minutes I had calls and texts from friends saying they would give me money to buy items to bring to them today. On my way to the city I stopped off at Hepburn Co-op and told them what I was doing. The manager Jeff didn't even hesitate. He got one of the employees to make up a basketful to take to the city!

I explained what had happened to my kids at breakfast, then explained what this lady was doing. My son went to his piggy bank and gave me some money to help buy something. It was only enough to buy a toothbrush, but it was the gesture. I heard a lady at the drop off today that it hit her when she was in the shower. Exactly that... she could take a shower... in her own home, a hot shower at that. Someone asked if I had any ties to people in Slave Lake, I don't. It's just a humanity thing and like I said something about this really hit me hard.

All this generosity warms my heart( cheesy phrase...I know). We are Slave Lake's neighbours... neighbours help out neighbours. I wish I could do more. I have something brewing in the back of my mind, but I think I will wait for a little bit, till people start rebuilding their homes.

I want to say a big thanks to the Hepburn Co-op, also to Tasha, Rachel and her family and friends and Tania for supporting these families. Every little bit helps...even a toothbrush and toothpaste.