No good deed goes unpunished, the old saying goes.
So it will be long after the last Cariboo wildfire evacuee heads home and things return to "normal" in Prince George.
The incredible outpouring of financial and volunteer support to house 10,000 evacuees, their pets and their livestock should make all Prince George residents proud. Sadly, however, local charities will pay a price for that generosity over the next year.
The ability for people to give both their money and their time does not appear out of thin air, nor does it magically get bigger during times of crisis. What's left now in Prince George is an exhausted volunteer corps that devoted countless hours to help the evacuees and a business community tapped out for cash and in-kind donations.
This happened in Prince George two-and-a-half years ago in the lead up and aftermath of the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Again, it was a proud moment for the city but most residents took a breather from their philanthropic duties for a time afterward.
Planning is already in full swing for many high profile fundraising events, starting in September and carrying right through to Christmas. Both the paid staff and the volunteers supporting these deserving charities will find it tough to get more volunteers and even harder to get sponsorships from local businesses. No one will be able to fault a local business manager or owner who turns his or her pockets inside out when asked for help in the months ahead and says "I gave to the evacuees."
The local charities that received great time and money support from residents while the evacuees filled the city are particularly vulnerable. The SPCA, the Humane Society and the Salvation Army still have work to do but may find it increasingly challenging for the rest of the year to attract further generosity. This city always seems to come through in the end but the Salvation Army could find it hard to get people to fill the kettles this Christmas, never mind find volunteers to staff those kettles.
Charity begins at home, so Prince George and its residents opened up their homes, their wallets and their calendars to help the people displaced by forest fires.
Unfortunately, the charities at home will suffer for it.
-- Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
