Lions funds aid in wildfire battles

Emergency kits built for local residents

It's traditional for Lions members to show up at times of challenge offering support to those on the front lines.

That was certainly the case in Central Newfoundland throughout August this year as the Central region's Lions Club members pitched in during a stressful time when wildfires threatened property and air quality for an extended period.

“When the call came out, we were watching and when we decided there was a need, the Lions Clubs in Grand Falls-Windsor, Botwood and Bishop's Falls pooled their resources,” noted Shane Budgell, Lions District N3 governor. “There were lots and lots of people helping out.”

“The Salvation Army and Community Kitchen were providing hot meals, so we decided to stay away from that to avoid wastage,” he explained about their efforts. “We focussed on non-perishable things like snacks and water.”

“Before the road opened, we were bringing things to the Lion Max Simms Camp where the firefighters were and we also opened a rest station at the Bishop's Falls Lions Club so people who were stranded could come in rather than sit in their cars. A few people came through there,” he added.

The decision was made to take the Lions Clubs' efforts a step further and Budgell applied for an Emergency Measures Grant of $10,000 (US) from the Lions International Foundation.

“The money can be used for disasters and they have been used for severe flooding, but obviously in this case it was wildfires,” Budgell noted.

He explained that $5,000 was spent on food for stranded people affected by the closure of the only road to the South Coast and helped with food contributions at Lion Max Simms Camp.

Some funds were used to build emergency measures kits for residents.

“We put in things like baby formula, pampers, all the way up to tooth paste, tooth brushes, blankets, pillows and sheets,” Budgell said. “We did 40 kits and once built they were distributed around the region, so there will be some sitting in Grand Falls-Windsor, Botwood, Bishop's Falls and the South Coast just in case fire flared up again.”

“This grant went a long way and another bonus is we're prepared if this happens again, or if another emergency happens,” the District governor added.

“We have over 200 clubs on island and disaster could happen any time,” he continued. “We've been challenged right from the start but we serve and we're there. We're on the ground.”

“Wherever there's a disaster, Lions is one of the first groups to go in,” Budgell added.

“All of this is done basically by volunteers when it comes to boots on the ground,” he said regarding the efforts of club members.”

The Lions members also received a support from others around the region who rolled up their sleeves and pitched in.

“All groups are struggling. A lot of clubs across the Island, not just Lions and a lot and are hurting for volunteers, but in this case a lot of people came out to help and many of them weren't Lions members,” he noted.

“When something like this happens it pulls us together even tighter when we have the general public coming out and wanting to volunteer,” Budgell continued “They maybe never thought about being a Lions member before but when they see us and what we're doing, they just want to help.