North Shore Recovery Funds: A Community Update

This post is written by the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Executive Director, Nicole Dawe

Last week, I was grateful to be invited to attend two events on the North Shore of Conception Bay. A town hall organized by the Town of Small Point to Adam’s Cove to provide a report about funds that had been raised to support recovery and the North Shore Volunteer Fire Department’s Firefighters Appreciation Dinner, celebrating and recognizing the courageous volunteer firefighters who responded this Spring and Summer to the many wildfires in this area of the province. 

We’ve been focused on supporting fundraising for the area. After being in the community more last week, it felt like the right time to provide a more detailed update on the recovery funds. It’s our intention to be as transparent as possible about the fundraising and disbursements from these funds. We’re very grateful for the trust that donors, communities, and partners place in CFNL to steward donations. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or feedback: ndawe@cfnl.ca or (709)221-1030. 

Town Hall Recap

At the town hall, CFNL provided a detailed update on fundraising and disbursements for the Recovery Funds it stewards. 

CFNL began supporting the North Shore after the Adam’s Cove Fire in May 2025. At that time, the fund (Adam’s Cove Fire Recovery Fund) was focused on supporting volunteer firefighting equipment and capacity. The entire fund was disbursed in December 2025 to support volunteer firefighting and capacity on the North Shore. 

As this unprecedented wildfire season continued, two more funds emerged in response to what was happening in communities:

• North Shore Fires Recovery Fund – Because of the devastation of the Kingston Fire, communities on the North Shore wished to shift fundraising to support individuals rebuilding their primary residences. Thank you to the many champions of this fund who have been working tirelessly to inspire donations.  No funds have been disbursed from this fund yet. To maximize its impact, it will be used to fill in gaps presented by other funding sources. Once we have more clarity on those other funding sources, we will work to get these funds out into the community with care and integrity. 
• 2025 NL Forest Fires Recovery Fund – As wildfires burned across much of the province, CFNL, along with Community Sector Council of NL, Municipalities NL and United Way of NL, launched a fund intended to support community recovery from wildfire across the province. This was intended as a provincial fund; due to the devastation experienced on the North Shore, the partners have decided to focus the majority of the fund there. No funds have been disbursed from this fund yet. Partners will be working with communities and community leaders in the area to guide disbursements from this fund. 

Recovery Fund Financial Update (October 31, 2025)

Note – CFNL has waived its administration fees for all Recovery funds. 

Firefighters Appreciation Dinner – Saturday, December 6

“Even in the worst situations we find ourselves in, good often emerges. The support for the fire department and our communities is nothing short of remarkable. Our sisters and brothers in volunteer firefighting were with us. This province is full of people who want to help and do everything they can to help our communities recover. Time, energy, and effort were freely given by so many volunteers.”

— Chief Roger Gillingham, North Shore Volunteer Fire Department 

This was a moving and inspiring evening recognizing the many, many extraordinary and caring people who responded to the fires on the North Shore from the first one on Good Friday, in April, to the devastation of the Kingston Fire in August. This included fire departments from Labrador West to Pouch Cove, many of whom were there and recognized on Saturday night. 

Chief Gillingham told us the story of this spring and summer, acknowledging the many people who supported their efforts. You could hear in his remarks and from others why so many had so much respect for the Chief’s clear, caring and compassionate leadership, which was essential throughout this year. A leadership lesson for us all. 

The North Shore Volunteer Fire Department and the Town of Small Point to Adam’s Cove were the driving forces behind the event, with funding support from Fortis and NL Power. Thank you for all your energy and care in putting together a very touching evening. You can read more about it here in this article from CBC. 

We were grateful to be in attendance to present a cheque for $67,426.39 from the Adam’s Cove Fire Recovery Fund to support capacity and equipment for volunteer firefighting on the North Shore. Thank you to the 419 donors who made this a reality, to the many community champions who inspired people to give to this fund, and to the North Shore Volunteer Fire Department for your leadership and courage in the response and recovery on the North Shore throughout this year.  

It’s our intention to be as transparent as possible about the fundraising and disbursements from this fund. We’re very grateful for the trust that donors, communities, and partners place in CFNL to steward donations. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or feedback: ndawe@cfnl.ca or (709)221-1030.