There are not many highlights when your home is threatened by wildfire and you’re an evacuee – but a voucher for Berro’s may be one of them.
Faced with trying to feed dozens of people from Wrigley each day, Fort Smith has switched to a system that involves vouchers for the town’s handful of restaurants, including Berro’s, a pizzeria with a lofty reputation that welcomed the prime minister last year.
The vouchers are also good at Aunties Korner Store, Anna’s Home Cooking, the Pelican Restaurant and Nsixty/JavaPunks according to a list published by the NWT government.
“All restaurants and food service providers in Fort Smith are involved in this process,” the town stated online, noting daily meal forms are available for pickup at the Pelican Rapids Inn.
Sixty-eight Wrigley evacuees are now registered in Fort Smith.
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While that’s a much smaller number of people than the hundreds of Fort Simpson evacuees being cared for in Yellowknife, it’s still a significant number for a town of 2,500 to gracefully accommodate, amounting to about a three-percent population increase.
To help, the town has begun hiring casuals dedicated to evacuee supports. Fort Smith’s youth centre is opening from 3-8pm Tuesday to Saturday, while the Union of Northern Workers is sponsoring free swims at the municipal pool.
Chief Jamie Moses of the Pehdzéh Kı̨ First Nation said on Thursday the band office was trying to find more financial resources to help members. Like evacuees from Fort Simpson, Wrigley residents currently have no timeline for a return home.
“I know everyone wants to get home but I feel that this is the right decision,” Chief Moses wrote.
“Take advantage of the programs and services our host communities have to offer and please be patient.”
