NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — Overland Freight and Courier is lending a helping hand to families affected by the devastating forest fires that are ravaging B.C.

The company, which calls New Westminster home, is offering to ship for free any skid-size donations of materials donated by companies within the fleet’s B.C. or Alberta service area. Donations will be delivered for evacuation centres, emergency response crews or the military.

The company has already delivered fruit juice to evacuation centres and emergency crews working on battling the blaze.

“We have trucks that go to more than 500 communities in British Columbia and Alberta that cover about 90 per cent of the population, and in many cases we can get shipments to places like Kelowna, Cranbrook and Kamloops overnight,” says Overland president, Claus Jensen. “We definitely want to do our part in helping businesses in cities and towns who want to donate materials get them there. This is our way of saying thanks to all the emergency crews and volunteers on the front lines.”

Businesses wishing to take advantage of the offer must contribute a pallet-sized shipment which is properly wrapped for shipping. They can specify which community is to receive the products.

“We’re shippers of industrial and business-to-business products, so we don’t have the ability nor the systems in place to pick up and deliver from individuals, nor can we move furniture, but there are others who can do that. The kinds of things that work for us would be pallets of tents, or shipments of drinking water or that sort of thing.”

Businesses wanting to donate materials to the crews or to evacuation centres can call Overland at 800-698-2111 for details on pick up and delivery conditions for the service.