Donations being accepted across the region for Fort McMurray

Despite the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta. being thousands of kilometers away, donations are pouring in from across the region.

Officials say money is the most effective way to make a difference.

The government of Canada will match all donations to the Red Cross to assist people displaced by the wildfires.

“Initially it helps with food, water, accommodations and clothing and then we go into the recovery phase and look at people helping rebuild their lives and that can take years,” said Peter McGuinness with the Simcoe County branch of the Red Cross.

Alberta is also matching Red Cross donations up to a cap of $2 million.

The Salvation Army is helping in the  evacuation camps and is also accepting donations locally.

“We have an emergency disaster organization within the Salvation Army that will be on the scene, whatever the authorities allow us to do, we are ready,” said Major Doug Lewis.

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  Conservation officers haul supplies to the Evacuation Centre in Anzac south of Fort McMurray, Alta., on Wednesday May 4, 2016. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jason Franson)

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  An evacuee puts gas in his car on his way out of Fort McMurray, Alberta, as a wildfire burns in the background Wednesday, May 4, 2016. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jason Franson)