Last week the Saanich Marine Rescue Society (SMRS) received a donation from ANAF Unit 302.
The organization received a $1,000 cheque from the Sidney-based ANAF unit which SMRS treasurer Paul Larkin said will go a long way in the not-for-profit society’s preparations for this year.
“We operate a booth at the Sidney Market each year and we also do a mail out once a year asking for donations,” he said.
“We get some funds from B.C. gaming for our capital expenditures but we rely on donations for much of our operating expenses like gas for the boats and training exercises,” he said.
“Donations like this one are vital and very much appreciated.”
The SMRS, established in 1979, has 28 volunteers from the Sidney and North Saanich areas, Larkin said, and the team is dedicated to saving lives on the water all year round.
“We really rely on funds from the public to operate,” said Larkin.
SMRS President Vern Totten was on hand to accept ANAF’s donation on Jan. 18 as well as Karen Morgan from the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation, Constable Ravi Gunasinghe from the Sidney North Saanich RCMP and Jennifer Jasechko from the Broadmead Care Foundation who were all also recipients of donations from Unit 302.
The money is raised through the unit’s weekly meat draws.