Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the Yukon Helpers Network has been a sort of a “light in the dark”, providing support to people in their time of need. The network has been supported people who are feeling isolated, navigating at-home learning by creating a strong sense of community. Besides offering financial support to local businesses and services, the network helped the government as well.
Kelsie Blaker, a member of the Yukon Helpers Network, said:
“We offer any kind of help. That’s the underpinning of it all. We see it range from people requiring advice to people needing shoveling done or the community responding to an emergency. It could be anything. The entire community is the helpers, so generally, even if something requires expertise, there is somebody in our large group that can offer it.”
Blaker had a baby in March. She said that having a child motivated her to help all those mothers out there who were not able to access supplies when shelves were barren.
She added:
“I followed it religiously because it was so uplifting. I was so relieved to see that those mothers were being taken care of that way and that everyone was pitching in.”
The network’s executive director, Ashley Fewer, said that she loves helping people and that this whole experience has been a life-changer for her:
“It’s been life-changing for me. Without this, I don’t know if I’d be able to find employment. It changed my life, and I’m so grateful for it every day.”
The group grew to 6,400 members, which is 20 percent of the Yukon.
