ISLAND NEWS

Support flows in for local Family

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Hot spots continued to flare up throughout the night however, including one within an hour of the initial fire being extinguished Fire crews checked on the scene multiple times overnight and into the next day to deal with these after-flares

“There was a lot of hard work by the members They did a great job of containing it and getting it out,” says the deputy fire chief of the multi-day effort

Thompson says the hot spots were due to the roof caving in, which made entering the house unsafe This meant firefighters couldn’t properly tend to the debris, which allowed hot spots to flare up in various areas “It’s basically smoldering and burning underneath, and when it does finally get some wind it just ignites”

Further proof of this was discovered when material from the Whitesails fire was found during a small bush fire in nearby Sealeigh Park over the weekend. “This one was pretty intense, so there

Food Bank grapples with inflation

ALEX KURIAL Editor

One of Bowen’s most important and enduring services is working hard to persevere through a rapid rise in food prices which has gripped the country

The local Food Bank, run out of the Little Red Church on Miller Road, has operated on the island for more than 25 years Started by then-United Church Minister Wendy Reid and parishioner Angie McCullough, a few shelves stocked by the pair of creators has grown into a $3,000 a month operation

Bowen Island's

offering a wide range of food options

Sue Clarke currently runs the Food Bank, a position she’s held for more than two decades ShesaystherecentwaveofinflationinCanada, which is not expected to end anytime soon, is impacting the operation on two fronts

“Both from our point of view, which is the shopping, and for users who are not getting as muchfortheirmoneyintheirshopping,”shesays

With people getting less for their money at grocery stores, Clarke says use of the Food Bank has gone up this year This also means the Food Bank has to be extra attentive while shopping, since their dollars are not going as far either But it’s a challenge Clarke says the