Seven-year-old Cochranite Kiara Wiltshire is putting a call out to the community to help her reach her bottle drive goal by the end of next week for B.C. wildfire relief.
“This time I’m trying to raise $900,” said Wiltshire, who will be handing over her loot to the Kamloops Food Bank.
So far she has cashed in $280 for the cause.
Wiltshire, who is looking forward to Grade 2 at the new Fireside School this year, managed to raise an impressive $2,500 for Fort McMurray fire relief last summer.
Upon learning that the interior region was battling blazes such as the Gustafsen fire near 100 Mile House, the Ashcroft Reserve blaze around Cache Creek, and fires around Williams Lake and Kelowna – it was a natural fit for Wiltshire to step up and start stacking up bottles.
A former resident of the northern oil and gas metropolis, Wiltshire said her family knew a lot of people impacted by the blaze that spread across some 590,000 hectares and displaced around 88,000 people from their homes.
“My best, best friend – her house blew up (in flames),” said Wiltshire.
For mom, Kyla Williams, who has three younger children, pitching in is just the right thing to do and a good learning lesson for her eldest daughter.
“I think it’s a good, selfless act,” said Williams. “There’s (a wildfire) in Banff right now, so it could happen to any one of us … be grateful for what you have.”
By press time, the Verdant Creek-area fire on the edge of Banff had spread to around 2,000 hectares in size, resulting in a fire ban throughout Banff National Park.
Williams said they have decided to donate the dollars directly to the Kamloops Food Bank to ensure the money gets spread out at the local level as best as possible. The family’s 2016 efforts went to the Red Cross.
Bags of bottles can be dropped off at 351 Fireside Place until July 27 or arrangements for pick-up can be made through texting or calling 587-437-2670.
