An online fundraising effort to help a Saanich senior whose home was ransacked and burgled multiple times while she was in hospital with pneumonia surpassed its $10,000 goal in just a few days.
The money was collected to buy a trailer or mobile home for Anne Tolmie to live on her property, said friend and neighbour Saanich Coun. Nathalie Chambers, who launched the fundraiser for Tolmie.
Chambers said a trailer purchased in Nanaimo on the weekend is now on the Blenkinsop Road lot.
The former owners sold the trailer at a discounted price of $8,000, said Chambers.
She said Tolmie’s house, an older structure, is beyond repair after what appears to be six separate break-ins in May.
Saanich police continue to investigate the break-ins, where thieves stole antique china, vintage hats and other keepsakes, along with most of the furniture, leaving items from virtually every drawer and cupboard strewn everywhere.
In addition, the basement was badly damaged when the home’s copper piping was removed.
There has been a groundswell of community support for the 78-year-old, a member of the pioneering Tolmie farming family, since her plight first got public notice last week.
Chambers, who lives near Tolmie at Madrona Farm, said Monday that she is “very grateful” for the effort people are putting into helping Tolmie get back on her feet.
Neighbours, friends, Madrona Farm customers and others have stepped up to donate or offer their services for whatever is required, she said.
“Everybody has just opened their arms to this,” she said. “It’s got me really inspired. Here’s something local that we can really effect change on.”
One of the most recent donations was $2,500 from nearby Galey Farms, she said.
Chambers’ husband, Dave, and electrician friend Rhys McKechnie were working on getting the trailer hooked up to the power grid Monday, after it was moved down-Island Sunday.
The plan is to get Tolmie moved in on Tuesday.
“It’s just a gorgeous trailer with a double bed and a wallpapered bathroom and a beautiful kitchen,” Chambers said.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
