Local resident Di Van Dyk has not heard from family and friends in The Philippines
Every time her phone rings, Di Van Dyk's heart skips a beat.
She's been waiting for nearly a week for a call from her hometown in the Philippines, where she has not heard from family and friends.
Typhoon Haiyan has completely devastated the country, including her native city of Abuyog. (Shown on map below)
Fighting back tears, Di tells Heart FM it's been restless and worrisome week. "I haven't heard any news from my family or friends because all the hydro is down, houses are flattened. I have seen it on the Philippine news, they were flying a helicopter through the whole island of Leyte, I have seen my town where I grew up, it's all flat.
Di is encouraging people to give what they can to relief agencies like the Canadian Red Cross and World Vision. "Join forces with me. That's all I can ask. Let's join forces, let's unite. I'm willing to do anything, not just for my family. I'm not going to stop, I don't care if it's a month from now, I will keep going. If I have to pay from my own pocket to send boxes so I can share it (goods) to everyone."
Di begun collecting items she's intending to ship to her hometown when she's able to do so.
In the meantime, Van Dyk is pleading with local residents to donate what they can to relief agencies like World Vision and the Canadian Red Cross. (Click links below to access donation pages)
The Woodstock-Oxford Rotary Club has already raised over $20,000 already to help relief efforts.
The federal government has announced it will match all donations Canadians make through these agencies to Philippine relief.
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