Portage la Prairie opened its doors, and hearts, last week as evacuees from northern Manitoba arrived after being displaced by fast-moving wildfires. With more than 260 people from communities like Flin Flon, Cross Lake, and Pukatawagan temporarily resettled in local hotels, residents and organizations in the City of Possibilities wasted no time stepping in to meet their needs.
One of the quickest to respond was Portage MCC, which launched a donation drive on short notice to collect clean clothing for those who left their homes behind with little or no possessions. Kevin Hamm, general manager at Portage MCC, says the initiative came together in a matter of hours following a Friday afternoon phone call from the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC).
“We quickly racked our brains trying to think about what we could do,” Hamm notes. “It was pointed out by one of our staff that the biggest need for the evacuees was clothing that they could wear right now."
Mobilizing volunteers and resources
Because MCC’s storefront clothing stock isn’t always freshly laundered, the team, with support from PCRC, Prairie Alliance Church, and other local partners, issued a public request for clean, labelled clothing. The collection ran from Saturday morning into early afternoon.
“We called in extra volunteers and our staff came in on their days off to receive, sort, label, pack, and then send everything to two hotels here in town: Canada Inns and Super 8,” he adds. “It was a scramble all day Saturday trying to do this amid our regular activities, receiving donations, and operating 3 stores."
The response from the community was swift and strong. New and returning volunteers filled the building, and by midday, MCC was almost overflowing.
“The number of donations was huge! It stretched the limit of what we could fit through our door. Sometimes we wondered if we were going to get in and out of the door safely with all the stuff crossing paths, but because of the many helping hands, we were able to keep it moving,” Hamm adds.
Distribution to evacuees began Saturday evening, and while much of the clothing reached its destination, some was returned to MCC for storage and later use.
“We just heard a few minutes ago that there's going to be some additional redistribution,” he notes. “PCRC is arranging to pick up some of those clean, washed donations, and hopefully they can get into the hands of the fire evacuees who need them."
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- Portage MCC adding to support for relocated persons in the community
- Portage la Prairie opens doors to families fleeing wildfires
- Help For Manitoba wildfire evacuees
Donations still welcome
Hamm says MCC accepts most household items and distributes them through various partner agencies.
“When there is a call for something like this, we give freely of our donations to share with other agencies,” he explains. “People often wonder if they can designate donations to go somewhere specifically. In certain cases, we can, like we did this past weekend. We do our best, but we can rarely set things aside specifically for someone. It goes into our general pool of things, but dozens of agencies and organizations have access to those donations."
Saturday’s event was a focused effort, however, MCC continues to accept general donations and will share updates if another specific need arises. Hamm credits Mayor Sharilyn Knox for her strong messaging in recent days and acknowledges the collective efforts being made across all levels, from local organizations to government and individual residents.
“We are still collecting donations. A lot is coming in that's marked, and we're trying to set some aside, but we're not collecting specifically for the evacuees right now. There is a lot of need for donations in the community, so we're trying to spread it around,” he continues. "We'll keep working together to serve the community."
One ongoing challenge, Hamm points out, is securing suitable clothing for men.
“One of the hardest things to get enough of is suitable clothing for men. Speaking as a guy, we tend not to let go of our things too quickly. We like to wear them until they're finished, so getting good men's clothing is a bit of a challenge."
A city that shows up
While wildfires have brought displacement and hardship to many northern families, the City of Portage has offered comfort and care in this time of need.
“A lot of people were able to stop what they were doing on a regularly scheduled Saturday to come and help make this happen. It's a testament to our community and to the way people come together in times of need, and it’s heartwarming to see."