Chetwynd residents help out neighbours in struggling Tumbler Ridge during difficult holiday season

Organizations in Chetwynd are raising money for their neighbours in Tumbler Ridge and its food bank as the northeast B.C. municipality continues to struggle with high unemployment.

"Tumbler Ridge has been in a spiral downwards because of mine closures," said Joanne Liebelt, who organizes the Christmas hamper campaign in Tumbler Ridge.

A series of mine closures in 2014 and 2015 saw more than 700 people lose their jobs in a matter of months, with property assessment values plummeting by 78 per cent between 2014 and 2016.

There has been a slight turnaround with the West Virginia-based ERP Compliant fuels restarting one mine, but Liebelt says there is still a greater need than usual for the time of year.

"[There's] a lot of single parents, seniors and unemployed workers here," she said.

'We're all families; we're all in the Peace'

Hearing stories of families struggling prompted Leo Sabulsky to want to help out. He's the general manager of Peace FM and CHET TV, a community station in Chetwynd, about 100 kilometres away from Tumbler Ridge.

"We're all families. We're all in the Peace," he said.

Sabulsky decided to donate a guitar signed by Tom Cochrane, Simple Plan and other musicians to help out.

The signatures were collected at GrizFest, a summer music festival held in Tumbler Ridge and sponsored by Peace FM.

"Instead of the guitar sitting on our wall, we decided to give it to the city of Tumbler Ridge, the residents of Tumbler Ridge," Sabulsky explained. "What better way to raise some money?"

The guitar is being auctioned off, with proceeds going towards the Tumbler Ridge food bank and thrift store.

Sabulsky is also getting people in Chetwynd to collect toys to send to families in Tumbler Ridge.

Liebelt said she's not surprised by the neighbourly boost.

"I've lived in the Peace region for years," she said. "When you live in the North ... you'll do anything possible to help each other."

To hear the full story click on the audio labelled 'Chetwynd organizations helping out their neighbours in Tumbler Ridge during difficult holiday season.'

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