With the communities of Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids being evacuated due to forest fires, Grace Mennonite Church in Steinbach is collecting donations to help evacuees.

The latest fire bulletin from the province of Manitoba indicates fires are four kilometres away from the community of Pauingassi.

Kyle Penner, Associate Pastor at Grace Mennonite Church, says they have a longstanding relationship with the residents of Pauingassi.

"They invite us every year to go to their gospel jamboree and we work to have them here and share their stories and music at our church services. We give every kid Christmas presents in the community, we do some advocacy stuff together, we have worked on the United Nations Declaration for Rights of Indigenous Peoples together and a lot of it is just us hanging out together as friends."

Penner says now that both the communities of Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi are evacuated there are 1,800 evacuees in Winnipeg staying in hotels away from home and Grace Mennonite Church wants to help out.

"The Organization of Southern Chiefs has asked for donations and to help the evacuees as they adjust to life in Winnipeg. Most of them left with only one suitcase and so we are organizing some stuff here and in the wider community to go help out."

Penner says they collected donations on Friday, and will continue to take donations Sunday morning and Tuesday from 9:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. He notes they are inviting anyone who would like to help out to drop by with new socks and underwear, diapers and wipes, baby bottles, hygiene products or family activities such as board games for the kids who are staying in hotels. He adds they will be bringing donations to Winnipeg on Wednesday morning.