Volunteer group in Charlottetown helping Islanders in need amid Fiona's aftermath

A volunteer group in Charlottetown has been helping Islanders in the city and across the province since post-tropical storm Fiona hit the province.

Members of Charlottetown Mutual Aid have been cooking hot meals and delivering them along with other supplies to people in need following Fiona. While the group started in the city it now has expanded to serve Islanders in other areas, according to its members.

"We are understanding that people lost a week of work. People's lives have been absolutely decimated by the storm," said Nouhad Mourad.

To supplement money raised in donations, the group just secured funding through a $15,000 United Way grant, applying alongside BIPOC USHR, which stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour United for Strength, Home, Relationship.

The grant will allow Charlottetown Mutual Aid to continue to help Islanders for the next three weeks.

"To make this work sustainable we need to have staff here, most of us are going back to work and school," Mourad said.

"The funds that we have through that [grant] will go toward paying one and a half staff people to be able to be here and make sure the work is being done with our volunteers."

Of the money, $5,000 will pay staff and the remaining money will be put toward helping the community. Members of the group said that money won't be given out in a lump sum — it will be used to help peoples' specific needs such as a family who needs a stroller.

Recently there was a frost warning and the group spent a large portion of their funds helping Islanders.

"I think in just that one trip we spent about $5,000 making sure that the seniors were going to be OK and have blankets," said Mourad. "Making sure our unhoused community was also going to be warm at night. So, we made sure to get some tarps, some tents, some extra warming things."

Donations have been rolling in steadily. Eleanor Wedlake handles financial support for the group.

"Our donations have been $39,186.69. I would say with that money we have helped thousands of people on P.E.I.," she said.

"We have volunteers that come in every single evening, that have been coming in every single day, doing multiple deliveries, hot meals, groceries, we haven't even been able to slow down and count our request needs."

So far, the group has spent $35,522.64 from the amount received in donations, Wedlake said.

"That is all money that has gone directly back into the community, most of it has gone to supplies and food."