B.C. couple helps California wildfire evacuees in Walmart parking lot
CHICO, Calif. — A British Columbia couple’s getaway to northern California has turned into a mission to help people fleeing deadly and destructive wildfires.
Destinee and Paul Klyne of Penticton had planned a peaceful holiday in Paradise, Calif., but flames destroyed their Airbnb and much of the community before their arrival. They decided to go ahead with the trip anyway, channelling their vacation funds into relief for exhausted evacuees.
“The funds we had allocated for our fun, we just thought, OK, why can’t we help some people with that? So we went to Walmart and bought a bunch of $25 gift certificates and handed them out to people as we saw fit,” said Paul.
The couple set up in the store’s parking lot in Chico, where they joined forces with a food truck operator and worked with him to feed evacuees until he ran out of meals. The next day, someone donated $2,000 to replenish the truck.