The Bald Range Wildfire has had a devastating impact on Rural Summerland, including Faulder, Meadow Valley and surrounding RDOS Area F.

Families have been displaced, homes and property have been lost, and our community is only beginning to understand what the road to recovery will look like.

In the immediate aftermath, the response has been incredible.

Emergency personnel, volunteers, businesses, organizations, neighbours and complete strangers have stepped forward to help. Donations have poured in, people have given their time, and our communities have come together in an incredible way.

But as the immediate emergency begins to transition into recovery, there will be gaps.

Some needs are obvious today. Others won’t become clear for days, weeks or even months.

Insurance, emergency assistance and existing programs will provide important support, but they can’t always cover every situation. There will be unexpected expenses, practical needs and circumstances that simply don’t fit within the assistance available.

That’s the missing gap this fundraiser is intended to help fill.

We don’t want to decide today exactly what people will need tomorrow.

Instead, the goal is to create a resource that can respond as those needs become clear.

When someone in our community needs help and another program can’t provide it, we want to have the ability to step in.

When something important falls through the cracks, we want to help fill that gap.

And as recovery continues, we want these funds to remain focused on the people and families of Rural Summerland who have been affected by the Bald Range Wildfire.

This isn’t about replacing the incredible assistance already being provided.

It’s about adding to it.

It’s about giving our community another resource for the long road ahead.

If you’re able to contribute, thank you. If you aren’t in a position to donate, sharing this fundraiser can help it reach someone who can.

Every contribution gives us another opportunity to help a neighbour when a need arises.

We may not know every need today. But when the gaps appear, we want to be there to help fill them.

Rural Summerland has been through something devastating.

Now it’s about helping our community move forward together.

— Joel Patan