Salt Spring is stepping up to assist its neighbours after an extended power outage led to a devastating loss of food stores on nearby Penelakut Island.
An island-wide food- and fundraiser is ongoing, organizers said, as Penelakut Tribe members have lost moose, elk and other food stored in freezers after hundreds lost power in the wake of the “bomb cyclone” extreme weather event, which slammed the islands Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce president Jason Roy-Allen is spearheading an effort that has organized food drop-offs to take place at both Country Grocer and Thrifty’s on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. –– as well as an online fundraiser spread through social media by Transition Salt Spring and other island organizations.
Funds gathered through that campaign, at gofundme.com/f/help-our-neighbours-in-need, will be used to support the Penelakut people –– and along with the food supplies, that money is being received gratefully, according to Penelakut councillor Kurt Irwin.
“It’s neighbours helping neighbours,” said Irwin. “Our people don’t have much money on Penelakut, and coming into Christmas and several upcoming cultural events, they’re happy to receive some help.”
Irwin said it was not uncommon for the small island to lose power for an extended period of time during a significant weather event, and BC Hydro officials said damage from last week’s storm impacted communities from Port Renfrew to Port Hardy. Hundreds of spans of wires, dozens of poles and electrical equipment across Vancouver Island were damaged, according to BC Hydro public affairs coordinator Karla Louwers.
BC Hydro crews were finally able to complete restorations to the distribution circuit serving both Penelakut and Thetis islands on Nov. 22, Louwers said.
“Some people were out for days,” said Irwin. “Unfortunately, when they opened their fridges and freezers, everything was spoiled.”
Salt Spring’s deep ties to the Penelakut people are the result of a long history of cultural and ancestral connection between the neighbouring islands. Irwin’s family have called Salt Spring home for generations, and a recent reunion at Fernwood hosted hundreds of descendants.
Irwin said there were immediate needs –– he noted non-perishables would be a welcome addition to food being donated Saturday –– and some that were more long-term, such as developing better freezer capacity and dependable backup power.
“I’d like to get a walk-in freezer and cooler with a generator,” said Irwin, “so in the future when they lose power, families won’t lose all the game and fish they’ve harvested and hunted.”
To support those solutions –– and because GoFundMe donations are not tax-deductible –– the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust has also set up a second donation portal online through which tax receipts are issued automatically, according to board member Jon Cooksey.
That link is give-can.keela.co/food-emergency-on-penelakut-island.