FALL RIVER/MUSQ. VALLEY: The aftermath of Hurricane Fiona hit the Musquodoboit Valley area hard, with some residents who live in that area of the province facing prolonged power outages.
That’s where a community group on the other side of the riding of Waverley-Fall River-Musquodoboit Valley, represented by Councillor Cathy Deagle Gammon, stepped up to the plate.
The Lions Christmas Express, which helps local families in need ensure they have a Christmas meal, came up with $2,000 to help support those in the Musquodoboit Valley area.
As Deagle Gammon explained in a recent interview with The Laker News, the treasurer of the Christmas Express, Barry Dalrymple and her husband Percy went and bought all kinds of gas cans to put fuel in for residents.
“I think they depleted Canadian Tire and everywhere else,” she said with a chuckle. “I wanted the money to be spent in the local community as well, so we went to Parker’s Esso and purchased the fuel there.”
She had a list of names of people who had asked for some extra assistance. The names came to Deagle Gammon from either emails directly to me people saying about their hardships, or through the JEM team in the Valley, and others privately which were checked.
“Once we got there, some of the volunteers that helped they knew of seniors and persons who were most vulnerable, who didn’t know about it but were in a bad spot,” she said. “That’s when the community helping community became a little bit of the word of mouth.
“We had some beautiful volunteers who knew the community, who knew their neighbors that were in trouble. We depleted our funds and gave the gas.”
Deagle Gammon said more than 75 homes from Meaghers Grant to Upper Musquodoboit and Lemmon Hill were helped through this generosity.
She said before they left they bought about 10 gas gift cards and left them at the Family Resource Centre for residents who couldn’t get to the Esso.
“I think that they were gone in a matter of hours,” she said. “I know that when we got down to the garage and started filling up, it was within 30 to 40 minutes it was all delivered or being delivered.”
She wanted to thank the Lions Christmas Express and their volunteers for what they did.
“It is very difficult for people in need to make an ask and so for the Christmas Express to be generous and just provide it, it was great.”
Deagle Gammon was asked what it meant for one part of the riding to help another part.
“What’s beautiful about this is that it’s communities helping communities,” said Deagle Gammon. “I think in the last two years I have felt a connection from Lemon Hill to Dartmouth. I think that people have always felt like this, but sometimes I think the rural part of the district has felt left out.
“Now I think these little efforts are ones that make District 1 feel connected, which I’m quite, quite proud of.”
