B.C. Firefighters Donate Gift Cards To Fire Victims

Most Canadians are fully aware of how thoughtful gift cards are. Many of us request them as gifts while purchasing them to show our appreciation for loved ones. So, it came as no surprise to us when we discovered, last week, that gift cards were chosen to assist victims of a recent fire in Coquitlam, British Columbia. As reported by Brian Morton in the Vancouver Sun, Coquitlam Firefighters Charitable Society plans to donate approximately $25,000 in gift cards to victims of a recent fire.

Morton notes that a July 28th fire at 550 Cottonwood Ave. in the Coquitlam area impacted the lives of dozens of residents including ten Syrian refugee families. It was apparently started by a plumber who was doing repairs in one of the units. Several homes in the apartment complex were completely destroyed, leaving about 50 people homeless.

The gift cards were purchased at a discount from the Real Canadian Superstore on Lougheed Highway to help victims of the fire purchase groceries, clothing, medication and kitchen utensils among other necessities. Each fire victim will receive up to $400 each. In addition, donations were raised by the community including $20,000 from the complex’s property owner, Concert Realty.

James Martins is the president of the Coquitlam Firefighters Charitable Society. “As firefighters, we pride ourselves on helping serve and give back to the community in which we are so blessed to work in,” he is quoted as saying, “This is why our charity is also donating $2,000 toward this Cottonwood Fire Appeal Fund. We’ll go to the building and discuss fire prevention, and at the same time will go to the people affected and hand out letters and gift cards.”

He goes on to note that donations are still being raised in order to help the families impacted by the recent fire. And while the refugee families that were staying in the building were offered the accommodations for a year, they are now staying at a Vancouver housing facility provided by the Immigrant Services Society of B.C. “The Coquitlam Foundation said after the fire that it was swamped with calls from people eager to help the Syrian refugee families displaced by the fire,” writes Morton.

It is news stories like this that truly make us proud to be Canadian. It’s no accident that “Canadian” is part of our company’s identity. The truly giving and considerate nature of our nation’s citizens is one of the greatest aspects of our country. We must admit, of course, that this story also caught our eye because it has brought to light one of the most significant points we’ve made to our customers – gift cards are highly-sought-after all year round.

The fact that they have been purchased and donated to fire victims in B.C. speaks to the fact that gift cards are incredibly convenient, handy and easy-to-shop-for items. They are people-pleasers. They are ways of saying “thank you”, “I’m sorry” and “I want to make things easier for you”. Selling gift cards in your store gives you the opportunity to have more people come into your store a lot more often. It’s just that simple.

To begin selling gift cards in your store, please don’t hesitate to call Canadian POS Corporation at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost.