Osoyoos and area residents have come through once again with generous donations to help a local couple who lost everything in a recent fire. (Contributed photo)

The generosity and kindness of Osoyoos residents willing to go above and beyond to help strangers during a time of need never ceases to amaze Brenda Dorosz.

When Dorosz, who along with good friends Gaye Horn and Jen Shiels, started the Osoyoos Gift Cupboard program in Osoyoos last year, heard a local couple had lost everything due to a fire that destroyed the mobile home they were renting and their pickup truck, she asked the community for support.

Within two hours last Thursday evening, local residents had not only donated a tent and sleeping bags, but a wide array of household goods, clothing, food and much more, said Dorosz, who is best known for forming and leading the Save Our School committee in Osoyoos last year when it appeared Osoyoos Secondary School would be closing.

“The residents of this community never cease to amaze me,” said Dorosz. “Whenever somebody needs help, they always come through.”

There were so many donations within a short period of time that Dorosz had to put the word out for residents to stop making donations as there was simply no place to put all the stuff, she said.

The longtime Osoyoos residents were renting a mobile trailer on the road leading to the Osoyoos landfill site when it burned to the ground the evening of July 30.

The married couple, who are both longtime Osoyoos residents, were renting the trailer, but lost of all their possessions as well as the pickup truck they owned, she said.

A local lady contacted Shiels to see if there was anything the gift cupboard could do, Shiels contacted Dorosz, who put out the request for donations through social media and things took off.

“I posted something on social media at 6:30 Thursday night and within two hours we not only had a tent, which is the only thing the couple requested for help, but also a mattress, sleeping bags, towels, sheets and all kinds of other household stuff.”

Dorosz said she and her husband had a spare barbecue, cooler and dishes and were going to donate them to help the cause.

The fire victims were invited to pick up all of the donated materials Friday evening.

Both of the victims have jobs and have managed to purchase another vehicle and local residents are being contacted to try and find them another place to live as quickly as possible, said Dorosz.

The generosity of Osoyoos residents is always overwhelming, but especially when people who don’t have a lot have to struggle through tough times like this, said Dorosz.

“There is one lady in town who doesn’t have a lot, but she always donates when the call goes out,” she said. “She is a single mom with kids, but she says that she just hopes others would help her if she ran into the same tough times.”

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times