The Tofield Bottle Depot raised $735 during the Alberta Day of Caring Wednesday, July 31, where people could donate their bottles to raise funds for Jasper, after a wildfire destroyed 358 of the 1,113 structures in the town on Wednesday, July 24. The opportunity to donate bottles continued through the long weekend, and ended Monday, August 5.
“On Wednesday, July 31, $735 was collected and donated,” said Parveen Kalley, of the Tofield Bottle Depot.
“A further $205 was collected and donated from August 1 – August 3. The grand total donated from the Tofield community was $940. This will be matched by both the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada for a total amount of $2,820 raised toward Jasper,” she said.
“We would like to thank the community, both those in the town of Tofield and rural residents, for their generous donations to the Jasper wildfire,” said Kalley.
CTV News reported that over $1.5 million was raised on Alberta Day of Caring.
“More than $1.5 million was raised on Wednesday for Albertans affected by wildfires. The province-wide Alberta Day of Caring was a partnership between radio broadcasters around the province and the Alberta Bottle Depot Association. The fundraiser saw more than $500,000 donated by Albertans, with each dollar matched by the provincial and federal governments,” the report said.
Bus tours have been scheduled for Jasper residents to see the damage that the wildfire has done to their homes.
“All Jasper residents may register; however, priority access for the tours will be given to people who have lost their homes,” said the province’s wildfire update at press deadline.
“As the wildfire situation in Jasper National Park continues to fluctuate, bus tours are subject to change and will only proceed at the direction of the incident command team in Jasper and as conditions allow. As of Monday, August 5, there were around 259 households registered, representing around 563 individual Jasper residents,” the update said.
Of the 119 wildfires currently burning in Alberta in the Forest Protection Area, 15 are considered out of control, 44 are being held, and 60 are under control.
Kari Janzen
Staff Reporter
