I think the Yukon is really a unique place for people generally working together. I think it's always been really wonderful.
I was assigned here in 1979. I only got to be here for ten months and then I got reassigned a couple of years later. But I know when I was here in 1979 people still talked about coming in and going out. You pack in your groceries, a very interesting view. Also, you helped. It didn't matter where. It broached everything. The non-denominational organizations and the NGOs, we all help however we can.
It's like the women's shelter. You have Kaushee's Place. When they have something, they're free to call us, and if we can help them, we help them. If we can't, we try to find something else. Or they'll call different places. I've always felt there's been wonderful cooperation between the different organizations here in the Yukon and helping to respond to the needs of people and see what needs doing.
I know when we were asked to close our shelters in1997, many people went to the government and said, “You've got to do something. You've got to provide shelter. We have to do this.” So they did, in a manner of speaking, and then that kind of fell apart. So then the Salvation Army picked up what it could; they're not able to do a big amount, but they help. We do help each other.
We still get a donation of food, because the Salvation Army has very limited hours. Sometimes we get lots of donations, so we end up taking it over to the Salvation Army because the people who are giving to us can't. They don't have the time or they're not there when the program is open.
So I think here in the Yukon it is amazing. There's a lot of cooperation between the different organizations. Yes, it has always been wonderful.