- Canadian Red Cross is delivering items including first aid kits, comfort kits and flash lights
- Visiting families in the community
- Temperatures are already dipping below -30 in Attawapiskat
- Visiting families in Attawapiskat
- Red Cross volunteers working to help the community
- Riding in the back of a pick-up truck
- Many homes do not have proper insulation so Red Cross is bringing sleeping bags, heaters and insulation materials
- Red Cross volunteers Jenn and Jim hard at work
- One of many Husky dogs in the community
- Jen loading up supplies to bring to families
- Visiting a home
- Chatting with community members
- A little girl hiding out in the Northern Store where many supplies can be purchased
- Canadian Red Cross brings comfort kits, first aid kits, sleeping bags, heaters and flashlights to this home where nine people live
- Preparing for another distribution
- Homes in Attawapiskat
- Canadian Red Cross is distributing compact first aid kits to help families
- A mother in her kitchen talking with Red Crossers
- Red Cross works with the local community in Attawapiskat
- Many dogs!
- Jen, a Red Cross volunteer from Timmins, loading up sleeping bags
- More supplies
- Home in Attawapiskat
- More supplies
- Bringing supplies to families most vulnerable to the cold
- Attawapiskat
- Learning about the challenges people in the community face
- This woman lives in a home without running water. Red Cross brought sleeping bags, clothing and other necessities
- Chatting with members of the community
Thanks to the swift and generous response of Canadians, the Red Cross has the funds needed to meet the immediate needs of the most vulnerable families in Attawapiskat.
The Canadian Red Cross mandate in Attawapiskat is to provide short-term aid to the community to help ensure that families will stay warm and safe through the winter months. To determine exactly which supplies were needed, Canadian Red Cross officials spent several days in the community doing an assessment by visiting dwellings and speaking with community members.
Based on that assessment, the Red Cross identified a need for items such as durable winter clothing, bed frames, mattresses, heaters, generators, materials to improve home insulation, and industrial laundry equipment. These items are critical to keeping families warm in sub zero temperatures.
Thanks to donations from Canadians, the Red Cross is able to purchase, transport and distribute these urgently needed items. Already four plane loads of Red Cross supplies have been sent to Attawapiskat with more scheduled in the coming days.
“The efforts of the Canadian Red Cross have been instrumental in addressing immediate, short-term needs and will help to ensure the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable community members during the winter months,” says Chief Theresa Spence.
Once the emergency response concludes, the Canadian Red Cross will remain in close communication with community leaders regarding ways we can support the community to build capacity for future emergencies through preparedness activities and volunteer training.
The Attawapiskat fund will close on December 9.
If you have more questions, please see our Frequently Asked Questions
