Western Petroleum offices in Stephenville, NL. – © Jaymie White / Wreckhouse Press Inc.
By Jaymie L. White Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
SOUTHWEST COAST — In the wake of Hurricane Fiona, businesses dug deep to offer donations to the people of the Southwest Coast. Donations came in the form of essentials, including accommodation for those whose homes were destroyed, monetary donations, and even fuel.
Western Petroleum donated 10,000 litres of diesel fuel oil to local communities who were severely impacted by the storm. Gary Smith, Sales Manager, Retail Fuels and Lubricant at Western Petroleum, said the donation was their way of giving back to the communities that have suffered so much.
“This is in conjunction with our supply partner, Imperial Oil, and we just wanted to get together and do something to give back to the communities down there that were in need, obviously, with the storm damage from Fiona,” said Smith. “It was distributed between four communities: Port aux Basques, Burnt Islands, Isle aux Morts, and Rose Blanche.”
The fuel was delivered in late November. Smith said the extent of the devastation was evident in photos and videos posted in the aftermath.
“I haven’t gotten out there myself since it happened, but I’ve certainly seen all the pictures , like everybody has I’m sure. Devastating to a lot of people I’m sure.”
At a time when cost of living is so high, and the price of fuel is difficult for many households to budget for, the donation was most certainly welcome.
“Our West Coast manager has been dealing with the whole day to day part of all of this, but everything that I’ve heard so far is positive. With the price of fuel these days, the value of 10,000 litres is quite a substantial amount, so there seems to be a lot of positive feedback on it.”
Count Mayor Brian Button among those thankful for the donation.
“I thought it was wonderful that they were stepping up to the plate to do something like that,” said Button. “If I had to stop and think about all the donations and talk about all the ones that came in, it’s just beyond phenomenal. From the smallest donation from a kid trying to give a toonie because they want to donate their money to Fiona relief, to the fuel or the $20,000 and $50,000 and the $2 million donation, that part of it is unbelievable and that’s the part that really punches everyone through all of this.
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