VERNON, BC, October 29, 2026 — Community Foundation North Okanagan (CFNO) has granted $55,000 from the Wildfire Response 2026 Fund to 13 local organizations supporting people displaced by the Bradley Creek wildfire. The grants are funding food security, mental health support help for families who were evacuated or lost property, animal rescue, and services for newcomers and Indigenous residents.
The Fund was established on August 5 as a trusted local place to give after the Bradley Creek wildfire forced evacuations across the North Okanagan. Since then, 471 donors have contributed $348,716 since then. The Fund is still open and more granting is planned, at www.cfno.org/wildfire-response-2026.
This first round of grants went to organizations already on the ground, in direct contact with people who had been evacuated or had lost homes. Granting locally means support arrives through people who already know their neighbours and can direct it where it will do the most good.
Where the Funding Went
Okanagan Indian Band, $23,000 across three grants. An early $3,000 went out on August 7 for immediate needs. In September, CFNO presented $10,000 to Chief and Council for food security work, helping replace food lost during evacuations and restock fridges, freezers and pantries, and a further $10,000 to the What Happens Upstream youth conference, supporting young people affected by the fire. Donors who wished to support OKIB programs directly were also able to give through the OKIB Fund.
School District 22, $10,000. Supporting 21 families across five schools who were displaced by the fire. The district has been helping families purchase clothing, household necessities and groceries, and has made breakfasts, lunches, snacks and take-home meals available to evacuee students and their families.
Eleven further grants of $2,000 each went to organizations that stepped in during the evacuation itself, often within days, covering food, counselling, shelter and animal care across the region:
Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT) Society Canada: animal evacuation and feeding behind the fire lines, working alongside Emergency Support Services
Canadian Mental Health Association, Vernon and District Branch: counselling for young people and longer-term trauma support
Family Resource Centre Society for the North Okanagan: free counselling for anyone affected by the Bradley Creek wildfire
Forever Home Sanctuary Society: care for animals displaced by the fire
Good Food Box Society of North Okanagan: food boxes for households in need, including three months of boxes for OKIB elders
Nexus BC Community Resource Centre Society: offers support for individuals and families impacted by the fire.
North Okanagan Friendship Center Society: somewhere to go and meals for people who had been evacuated
Okanagan Humane Society: placing displaced animals in foster homes, working with Animal Auxiliary Vernon
Salvation Army Vernon Community Church: free meals and food support
Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan: food bank support and immediate help for evacuated households
Vernon Immigrant Services: support for newcomer families, including grocery gift cards
What Happens Next
The Fund remains open and more grants will follow. CFNO is planning the next round alongside the Canadian Red Cross, United Way BC and other community foundations across the interior, through a group that meets monthly to share what each organization is seeing on the ground. Working this way means donations reach the places other support is not already covering.
CFNO expects to grant from this Fund through the coming year, as the region moves from emergency response into recovery and the remaining needs become clearer. Holding funds back now means CFNO can still respond when those needs surface.
There is no open application process for the next round. Grants are being shaped through the coordination work described above and through direct conversations with organizations serving people affected by the fire. Organizations seeing needs that are not being met are welcome to contact CFNO at info@cfno.org so that information reaches the table.
“Our donors gave quickly and generously this summer, and these grants are the first look at what that generosity has done. The money went to the people who were already showing up: feeding families, caring for animals, getting children back into school. We are grateful to every one of them, and to everyone who gave.”
— Leanne Hammond, Executive Director, Community Foundation North Okanagan
“Recovery takes far longer than the news coverage does. Holding this Fund for the region means we can keep showing up for the North Okanagan long after the evacuation orders lift, and that is exactly what a community foundation is for.”
— Steve Brandner, Board Chair, Community Foundation North Okanagan
How to Give
Donate at www.cfno.org/wildfire-response-2026, where you will also find options for giving by e-transfer, cheque or securities transfer.
Every gift is tax-receipted and granted locally to support evacuees and rebuilding across CFNO’s service area. Donors who wish to support Okanagan Indian Band programs directly may also give through the OKIB Fund.
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Media Contact:
Lisa Deargle
Communications Director | Community Foundation North Okanagan
lisa@cfno.org
www.cfno.org
About CFNO
Community Foundation North Okanagan has been part of life here since 1975. Generous people across the region have created more than 200 endowment funds, and together we have granted over $18.3 million through local charities working in arts and culture, the environment, health and recreation, education and more. We look after those gifts for the long term and put them to work through the organizations our neighbours already trust.
