Reaching out to help Bella Coola

By Mona Mattei

Flooding in the last month left Bella Coola a disaster area but area farmers are out of the aid equation. With their crops gone, they have called for help to feed their starving livestock, and Grand Forks area farmers are responding.

 

The Grand Forks and Boundary Regional Agricultural Society (GFBRAS) is asking everyone to step up to help their fellow farmers. This week’s pumpkin auction is now designated for Bella Coola and Doug Zorn, president of GFBRAS says that business and local governments are challenging each other for donations.

 

“I felt that this could be happening to our Kootenay Boundary area,” says Zorn. “A month ago we could have easily had a dump of snow that wiped out all our food crops and even some of our hay crops. I just felt it was important to show support for different farmers in B.C. Challenges have been struck: Video Express wants to see businesses donate $50 each, North Fork Pork and Poultry upped the farmers ante to $100, and the City of Grand Forks threw down the gauntlet to their regional colleagues to donate $100.”

 

Trust funds have been set up for the general needs of the area and a specific one for farmers.

 

Bella Coola is receiving help from the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP), and recovery of homes and roads is underway. But farmers are not able to get the help they need, says Dayna Chapman of the Bella Coola Sustainable Agricultural Society.

 

“Unfortunately, the ag needs aren’t eligible for assistance through the PEP program – there’s not much they can do at this point,” explains Chapman. “Due to the realities of the agriculture industry, our farmers are forced to work off the farm in order to make ends meet, which makes them ineligible.”

 

Chapman, a resident and volunteer helping the local recovery committee, explains that farmers in the region have always had pieced together their livelihood from diverse incomes. The on-farm income is essential, but they also look elsewhere to sustain themselves. As a result, the province will not help them with their losses.

 

“At this point, our community has lost over 270 tonnes of winter feed. There were some livestock lost. A lot of people lost their chicken flock, which in the grand scheme of agriculture doesn’t seem like that much, but it really affected individual families here. When you couple that with damage to structures, barns, paddocks, hay barns, hen houses and all the fencing and stuff it becomes overwhelming,” says Chapman. “Our community's efforts to support local farmers and increase the resiliency of our agricultural sector, as well as increase our community's ability to feed itself, are in jeopardy.”

 

Using its first ever pumpkin fundraiser as the starting point, 14 different plywood pumpkins decorated by local businesses in what was originally a silent auction for the Grand Forks society are out for viewing. A quick vote of support from their board of directors is redirecting the money to be donated to Bella Coola. The Bella Coola society had been a great resource for the Grand Forks group in the past and that’s how Zorn’s interest was tweaked when he saw their call for help in an email.

 

“We’re asking the people of the Boundary to help support the silent auction, and also to donate to the Bella Coola community,” Zorn commented.

 

Final viewing of the pumpkins will be at the Grand Forks and District Savings Credit Union on Thursday with the auction ending on Friday, Oct. 29.

 

Anyone interested in donating can bid on a pumpkin that is on display over this week at Work ‘n Play, RHC Insurance, Clydes Pub, the Station Pub, Jogas, the Source and other businesses.

 

Donations can also be sent directly to the Bella Coola society for their trust account at: c/o Dayna Chapman, Box 828, Bella Coola, B.C. V0T 1C0 or call Dayna at: . To help with general community needs write the cheque to: 2010 Flood; and for the farmers the cheque should be written to: CCRD-2010 farm relief. 

“I’m really excited – I’ve been talking with the farmers about what the society there is doing and they’re really excited too,” said Chapman. “I think that once this is more in hand, some of the local people here would like to connect somehow and express their appreciation. It’s really amazing to feel like there are people out there who understand that this is a bigger need than our community can possibly meet on its own.”