Love, funds, provisions coming from all corners of North Idaho and beyond
Village Bakery owner Dana Bellefeuille loads sandwiches and other provisions into her vehicle Monday as she prepares to make a delivery to first responders and family members at Kootenai Health.
DEVIN WEEKS/Press
Blue 541 Director of New Business Cassie Robertson arranges little flags and flowers on the curb outside of her work Monday in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Passersby are invited to take small flags and share words of support in sidewalk chalk.
Coeur d'Alene resident Mark Booker helps load drinks into a vehicle Monday during efforts to support the firefighters and first responders involved in the fire and shootings that took place Sunday.
Sisters Thalia Tavis, 18, left, and Emma Thalia, 16, contribute messages of encouragement to a sidewalk chalk area Monday afternoon on Lakeside Avenue.
An outpouring of love, support and provisions for firefighters and first responders is coming from all corners of Kootenai County and beyond in the wake of the tragic events Sunday on Canfield Mountain.
Two firefighters were killed and one more was hospitalized following an ambush attack on firefighters responding to a brush fire.
Village Bakery owner and wife of Spokane Valley firefighter Dana Bellefeuille worked with volunteers into the night to prepare sandwiches and breakfast items, which were delivered Monday to first responders and their families at Kootenai Health.
"This hits very close to my heart as a fire wife," Bellefeuille said in a social media video posted Sunday evening. "We are on standby from the fire and police to provide food at the debriefing meetings and/or at the hospital, to provide food for those affected by this catastrophe."
She said there was a line of people coming through the door with cash donations Sunday.
"We have raised over $7,000 that will go directly to food and to the families," Bellefeuille said Monday. "We'll be helping with food at the memorial services for the families as well as the first responders."
The Village Bakery is normally closed Mondays. When asked what she was in most need of, Bellefeuille said, "Sleep."
“Today is my only day off,” she said, "but I will be here prepping food and doing what I can for our community because our first responders are putting their lives on the line every single day and it’s the least that we could do.”
Regular customer Mark Booker lives near Nettleton Gulch, where the fire continues to burn. He was on hand to help carry items to the car before the delivery.
“I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to be of service,” he said.
Bellefeuille is not alone in efforts to rally for first responders in need.
The Red and Blue Foundation delivered food and water for crews on the ground Sunday, as well as phone chargers and snacks. Established in 2005, the nonprofit provides financial and mental health support for first responders and their families when catastrophe strikes.
"The needs will be many in the coming days," the foundation said. "Three families will never be the same."
Visit redbluefoundation.org to donate to the "Canfield Incident" and the families of the injured and fallen firefighters. Donations can also be made in person at area First Interstate Bank branches.
A show of community support has been set up outside Blue 541 on Lakeside Avenue, where Director of New Business Cassie Robertson has placed buckets with sidewalk chalk and little American flags. Passersby are encouraged to write notes of support and encouragement and help themselves to a flag.
"It hasn't even been 24 hours and I am still unsure how to process this," said Robertson, who wanted to create a space where people could process their emotions and "chalk the walk" just ahead of Fourth of July festivities.
"I am a Coeur d'Alene native and watched how fast our town came together yesterday when we needed to be 'Cd'A Strong,'" she said.
People can support devastated firefighter families through the JW Memorial Foundation. Created in the memory of late Northern Lakes Fire Chief Jeff Welch, the foundation provides for the immediate needs of the families of emergency service personnel who are severely injured or killed in the line of duty.
"We try to build a large enough pot of money," she said. "Our goal has been to be prepared for a multiple-victim incident, hoping we would never get one."
The Innovia Foundation established the Kootenai County/Canfield Mountain Crisis Relief Fund to support the victims’ families and survivors in their recovery and healing, as well. The foundation is seeding the fund with an initial gift of $10,000.
“This tragic event does not define us as a Coeur d’Alene community,” Ryan Nipp, Innovia Foundation Board president, said in a Monday afternoon news release.
“What truly defines us is our compassion and support for one another," he said. "In difficult times like these, I know our community will come together to help and uplift those affected.”
Donations to the Kootenai County/Canfield Mountain Crisis Relief Fund can be made securely online at innovia.org or checks can be mailed to: Innovia Foundation, 818 W. Riverside Ave., Suite 650 Spokane, WA 99201. Write "Canfield Mountain Relief" in the memo.
Blue 541 Director of New Business Cassie Robertson arranges little flags and flowers on the curb outside of her work Monday in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Passersby are invited to take small flags and share words of support in sidewalk chalk.
Coeur d'Alene resident Mark Booker helps load drinks into a vehicle Monday during efforts to support the firefighters and first responders involved in the fire and shootings that took place Sunday.
Sisters Thalia Tavis, 18, left, and Emma Thalia, 16, contribute messages of encouragement to a sidewalk chalk area Monday afternoon on Lakeside Avenue.