Postmedia to donate $25,000 for relief
Postmedia is donating $25,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to support those affected by wildfires that have forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alta. and surrounding communities.
The company ’s CEO, Paul Godfrey, said the donation was prompted by the dramatic and overwhelming impact the disaster has had on so many families.
“Our hearts go out to those residents in Fort McMurray whose lives have been so horribly disrupted by the devastation of the wildfires,” Godfrey said Thursday. “We have a stake in that community through our newspaper Fort McMurray Today, and we hope our gesture inspires all Canadians to offer whatever they can to help the city rebuild.”
In addition to Fort McMurray Today, the company owns a host of Alberta daily and weekly newspapers, including the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald and the Edmonton and Calgary Sun papers.
Postmedia joins a group of national corporations like Bell Canada and Rogers, and local organizations like the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, donating to the relief effort after wildfires forced all 88,000 inhabitants to evacuate the northeastern Alberta oilsands capital.
The federal government announced Thursday it would match all donations made to the Canadian Red Cross in response to the Fort McMurray fires.
“We are thinking of and praying for the people of Fort McMurray,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday. “Though Alberta’s loss is profound, we will get through this tragedy together, as friends, as neighbours, as Canadians.”
Canadians can make a $5 donation by texting REDCROSS to 30333, or can donate online at redcross. ca or by telephone at 1-800-418-1111.
The Salvation Army is also collecting donations online at salvationarmy.ca. The Wood Buffalo Food Bank, which serves the regional municipality that includes Fort McMurray, is taking PayPal donations through its website, woodbuffalofoodbank.com.
And the Fort McMurray SPCA is working with partners and local authorities to reunite displaced residents with pets they were forced to leave behind. It is accepting monetary donations at fortmcmurrayspca. ca.