Inuvik (Jan 24/05) - Northerners continue to outdo themselves in an overwhelmingly generous show of support for international efforts to rebuild Asia's ravaged coastline.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith announced Monday that it collected $28,008 from 16 of its 30 Northern missions in a special collection Jan. 9.

"This is the big one," said Bishop Denis Croteau, who launched the appeal, of the largest collection he can recall seeing in the North. Some parishes in the Mackenzie Delta area, where services were cancelled the week before due to the blizzard, took up collections Jan. 16. Totals were still not in at deadline, but some parishes experienced the same sense of generosity.

Our Lady of Victory Church in Inuvik, a community of approximately 3,500 residents, raised $740.88.

"It's more than usual. No question about it," said David Jorstad, treasurer of the church.

The Bishop Croteau Foundation, also donated $10,000 apart from the collection.

The money was forwarded to Development and Peace, the Canadian Catholic Church's official international development agency, to meet the deadline for the federal government's matching grant policy, said Bishop Croteau.

"We're one of 22 organizations eligible for matching funds," said Ken Wittingham, communications director for DP. Funds will be dispersed for both the immediate and long-term needs of those affected by the tsunami.

"They need everything at the moment," he said. "There's nothing left."

Food, water, blankets and other necessities are already in the works, while two staff members left Wednesday for Indonesia to assess and co-ordinate longer-term needs.

After Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America in the late 1990s, the organization developed projects to improve farming methods on what was thought to be ruined land.

"Community building is also something we're strong in."

No money will be given to the governments, he said.

"This has been quite remarkable," Wittingham said of the national collection. "The people working the phones (collections) are overwhelmed by the amounts being donated."