The Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB) is accepting clothing donations for forest fire evacuees who are currently housed in Timmins.
Summer clothing collected this week will be provided to 150 people who were evacuated from Pikangikum First Nation due to forest fires. The evacuees are staying at The Ramada Inn. It is unknown how long they will be staying in Timmins.
A state of emergency has also been declared in the city. According to the fire chief, it's more administrative and is not related to COVID-19.
“They didn’t have much time before leaving their home, they didn’t have many things to bring in," said Shannon Costello, director of children’s services. "Right now, there’s no end date of when they’ll be leaving, so the more we can help, the better."
There’s a need for children’s clothing such as shorts, T-shirts and hats as well as hangers and clothing racks.
“It must be something people can wear, no holes, in good condition as people will be wearing them,” Costello said. It's preferred if people wash the donated clothes beforehand but, “we will wash it if it’s needed,” she added.
According to Costello, the majority of evacuees in Timmins are children and youth.
“There's a need for boys' clothing. We're getting lots of girls' stuff but there are lot more boys from what we can see, so good variety of both genders of clothing," she said. "We have some adults but there are a lot more children."
Donations can be dropped off at 500 Algonquin Blvd., at the picnic table located at the back of the building. Costello said they will start bringing clothes over to the evacuees on Wednesday and Friday.
