LANGLEY, B.C. — Tru Cooperative Bank, through its Envision Financial and Valley First divisions, today announced $57,500 in emergency response funding to support communities impacted by ongoing wildfire activity across British Columbia, including areas affected by the Bradley Creek, Brunswick Complex, Ainslie Creek and Bald Range wildfires. The funding will support relief and recovery efforts through trusted community organizations providing food security, emergency family supports, Indigenous community assistance, animal welfare services and long-term recovery initiatives.
Funding recipients include:
"Having been through an evacuation because of wildfires three years ago, I know what it's like to leave your family home not knowing what you'll come back to," said Simon Mills, President of Valley First. "We have members and team members going through that same uncertainty right now, and this funding is our way of standing behind the organizations doing the amazing work on the ground to help them through it."
In addition to supporting community-based relief efforts, Tru Cooperative Bank is proactively reaching out to members in evacuated and impacted areas to offer assistance. Available support measures include payment deferrals, expedited access to financial hardship assistance and delayed mortgage funding for qualifying members experiencing wildfire-related disruption.
"Evacuation doesn't just disrupt one part of someone's life — it touches all of it, from where the next meal comes from to who's looking after the family pet," said Tamara Hendsbee, President of Envision Financial. "This funding goes to the organizations already helping people manage all of that, so there's a little less to carry while everything else feels uncertain."
Members and community members wishing to support wildfire relief efforts directly can do so through any of the organizations listed above. Tru Cooperative Bank will continue working closely with community partners and monitoring evolving needs as wildfire response and recovery efforts continue across the province.
