Hundreds of dollars were raised by the Portage Co-op, in support of those displaced by the wildfires in Fort McMurray. They held a charity barbecue at the food store today, which Co-op's Tammy Hammersley says was a major success.

"The support has been phenomenal. We've had about 600 people come through. It was non-stop right from before 11:00. We had people lined up to the tills in the store here because it's so miserable outside. It just goes to show that Portage comes out and supports everything they possibly can, even when it's miserable like this."

She says the initially only expected to see about 350 come through, but notes they're excited to exceed that number despite the weather. 

Customers line-up for the charity barbecue

"The way I look at it, we can deal with this weather in Manitoba. The people in Alberta are dealing with way more than what we are, so this support is phenomenal."

Between today's barbecue and their ongoing donation collection at the tills, their total sits at about $7,000.

There's been no shortage of local support for those in Fort McMurray, with businesses, individuals and organizations taking on initiatives to raise funds and gather donations for those impacted by the fires.