By Sarah Rae

Locals asked to help send hope, art to Fort McMurray

Jul 14, 2016 | 5:00 PM

Months after a northern city was devastated by wildfire, a local business is asking residents to send messages of hope and a touch of colour to help rebuild it.

Many Co-ops across Canada are donating cans of paint to help rebuild Fort McMurray. Stores are also collecting support from locals through painting murals, which will be delivered with the donation to “bring the colour back.”

A semi truck will be rolling into North Battleford Friday, July 15, decked out with a fresh mural to paint. Discovery Co-op’s marketing and communications manager Leanne Ducommun said it will be like a paint-by-numbers, with spaces for people to colour in and also write messages to the people of Fort McMurray.

“We are just wanting the community to come together and help us paint this mural and send wishes of hope,” she said.

The donation is part of a larger Co-op program, where local organizations can apply to have paint donated to their projects.

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Ducommun said she was so impressed by the Battlefords community’s reaction when the wildfire first happened and she’s certain this will also be a success.

“When the devastation was first heard, we reacted quite quickly,” she said. “Members and guests could come in and through every purchase done through the Co-op were able to give a monetary donation if they had so chosen, and they really came out. It was quite impactful.”

The entire city of Fort McMurray, nearly 90,000 people, was evacuated May 3 as a wildfire approached the city. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said after touring the site, roughly 2,400 structures were destroyed, which is more than 10 per cent of the buildings in the area.

Residents are invited to paint the mural and write messages at the Discovery Co-op from Friday, July 15 to Tuesday, July 19, noon to 5 p.m.

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae. Concerns regarding this story can be addressed to News Director Geoff Smith at 306-446-6397.