The Cancer Society office has closed and the number of canvassers for the annual April fundraising campaign was down sharply, but the final tally was close to last year's, thanks to the generosity of local residents.
Hugh Baker, the residential campaign coordinator for the area from Nanoose to Deep Bay, said the society found themselves 35 canvassers short of the number they had last year.
"There are areas we didn't even go to," he said. "We could have used another 50 people, actually."
However, he said residents proved to be particularly generous this year, which went a long way to making up for the deficiency of boots on the ground.
"It was amazing," Baker said. "One canvasser went out in Nanoose and got absolutely nothing, while another person went out around Qualicum Woods and got $1,300, so there was quite a range. The average was about $200."
In all, he said, the society tallied $42,000 in donations from the area, down only slightly from last year's $44,000.
"That's staggering," he said. "I think we had the best campaign on the Island."