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Truck club helps forest fire refugees

Bottled water, diapers, non-perishable food up to Princeton
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Derek Anderson, with the Guts Glory Ram is taking donations of diapers and water to help people in Princeton area who’ve had to flee wildfires.

A local effort to help those made homeless by forest fires is underway after a few stops and starts.

Derek Anderson, with the Guts Glory Ram (pickup truck) Club tried to set up at two collection stops on Wednesday in Pitt Meadows and downtown Maple Ridge before being able to settle at a spot in the afternoon in the Save-on Foods parking lot on 240th Street.

“In the 25 to 30 minutes that I’ve been here, this end of town has way bigger hearts,” Anderson said.

In the few hours he had been there, his trailer was already one-third filled with diapers, toilet paper and bottled water. He was also accepting protein snacks, pet food and personal hygiene items of all types after hearing the type of goods needed by residents in the Interior.

Anderson learned the evacuation centre in Kamloops is already turning away donations, but Princeton emergency social services was still looking for goods. They were to send a precise list of what they needed on Thursday.

He hoped to return to the parking lot Thursday to collect more before the goods are shipped the few hours down Highway 3 where a forest fire is threatening.

Dan Buckman, a club member in Mission, said four pickup trucks are going to Princeton on Saturday.

“They don’t want any clothing and they don’t want any furniture, that’s what I know.”

The club will also be setting up in the Mission Springs Pub parking lot on Monday from noon to 6 p.m.

But more details need to be confirmed.

“Once I have everything lined up, then I’ll be in a better position to make a post and then hopefully it will spread like wildfire.”