The first major snowfall of the season might have brought a lot of chaos, especially on the roads, but for one Maple Ridge family, it also brought a bit of hope as they received more than $6,000 in donations.
“Many of our employees wanted to donate their own time towards the donation. Some guys donated an hour while others tried to donate their whole day’s pay towards the final tally,” said Clay Gagnon, who co-owns Whonnock Roofing with his brother Abraham Gagnon. After some back-breaking work clearing the 15 centimetres of snow that Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows received on Nov. 29-30, the Whonnock Roofing team was able to collect $1,815 in donations. However, the company also pledged to match donations up to $5,000.
“We have known the Gervais/MacDonald family for a long time as Savanna’s uncle Dave MacDonald worked here at Whonnock Roofing from 1998 to 2014, so there is a bit of an extra special connection with some of our long-term employees there as well. The money doesn’t turn back time, but we are hoping that this will bring along some financial relief during these trying times, especially as they all enter the holiday season and beyond.