The Anarchist Mountain Fire Department’s annual silent auction is back this year with a bang.
Though normally the number of donations range from 50 to 60 items each year, this year there’s been over 90 items donated already with more pouring in. The total value of donations is a whopping $15,000 (comparatively, last year’s total value was approximately $5,300).
Jennine Lewis, who has managed the social media and marketing for the auction the past two years, said the timing for the event this year couldn’t have come at a better time with the Nk’Mip Creek wildfire shining a spotlight on the department.
Brenda Arychuk from the AMFD said that most people don’t realize how a massive fire like Nk’Mip Creek can quickly drain the department’s budget and resources.
The money raised from the auction will go towards replacement equipment, other current needs, as well as supporting specialized training.
The fire department always has a portion of their budget designated to come from fundraising, which they count on, said Lewis. This amount raised from the annual auction is written into the yearly budget and greatly helps the department with their needs.
After a fire like the Nk’Mip Creek wildfire, Lewis explained that community members feel a heightened level of importance for the department, which has been instrumental (and continues to be) in managing the fire.
“People are realizing what the fire could have done to our area,” said Lewis, “and our crews are one of the first crews that you’ll see go and help other communities. And I think that you’re just seeing it all the way around. You’re seeing donations come in from everywhere to support this community when needed.”
The auction opens on August 22 at 11 a.m. and will continue until August 28 until 4 p.m. Lewis has posted information on how to register as a bidder on the Anarchist Mountain Fire Department Virtual Silent Auction Facebook page.
“I’m also going to be putting a tutorial on how to register right onto the Facebook page as well, so that if anybody is not as computer savvy, they can refer to the tutorial on how to do it,” said Lewis.
This year’s bidding items were donated by an array of community businesses including many wineries, Home Hardware, local golf clubs, and Spirit Ridge. One of the biggest items is a trip to Las Vegas.
“It is just a long standing community event which was pushed into the virtual format last year. And it did really well last year, even for the first year going virtual. We had really high hopes for this year that we can reach even bigger audiences and then auction off these items and raise a lot of money,” said Lewis
