Meadow Lake Extra Foods is contributing more than $2,500 to B.C. disaster relief. (Elliott Knopp/meadowlakeNOW staff)

By Elliott Knopp

Extra Foods Disaster Relief

Extra Foods raises over $2,500 for B.C. disaster relief

Dec 16, 2021 | 2:07 PM

A community struck by consecutive natural disasters throughout the year is receiving a helping hand from allies in northwest Saskatchewan.

The team at Meadow Lake’s Extra Foods recently held a fundraising event to support disaster relief efforts in British Columbia.

Through staff raffles, bottle drives and collecting donations from customers, the team raised $2,558.25 for those recovering from the recent wildfires and floods.

In an interview with meadowlakeNOW, store manager Evan Haubrich said the team wanted to help the cause as the events that unfolded had an impact on some of the people within the organization.

“Some of our colleagues have lived in B.C. before, and they really took this to heart,” he said. “We want to help support as much as we can here at the store.”

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The fundraising efforts began on the evening of Nov. 19. The event ran through the rest of the month until the final day wrapped up the drive on Dec. 1. All of the money raised for the cause was donated to the Canadian Red Cross.

Two individuals working at the store, Meredith and Chloe, were highlighted after the event for their significant impact on the fundraiser’s success. Both women helped raise $1,000 each through their efforts while operating as cashiers.

Meredith (left) and Chloe (right), cashiers at Extra Foods, were highlighted on social media for raising $1,000 each for B.C. disaster relief. (Meadow Lake Extra Foods/Facebook)

Haubrich explained the team wanted to add another element to the cause to increase motivation, and both women took the inspiration and excelled with the challenge.

“We tried to make it a little bit of a competition to see who could raise the most money, and they definitely went above and beyond what we expected,” he said.

“Meredith and Chloe are exceptional cashiers, and we really appreciate that we have top notch colleagues like that on our staff.”

While the affected communities are hundreds of kilometers away from Meadow Lake, Haubruch stated the generous acts from his colleagues and fellow residents aren’t exclusively limited to benefitting causes close to home.

He believes the instinct to help others, regardless of trivial circumstances, is a Canadian quality often demonstrated by the Meadow Lake community.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in this country, we take care of each other. Look at what happened with Fort Mac and the wildfires there. That could easily happen here in Meadow Lake too,” he said.

“We couldn’t have done this without the support of our amazing customers who shop here.”

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elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp