Here Is What You Can Do To Help With The West Coast Wildfires
There are so many out of control fires burning on the west coast right now. They need some rain in a really bad way, to help fight this onslaught of disaster.
It doesn’t seem like too long ago, we were talking about the bushfires in Australia, but now, this hits closer to home for so many of us.
I have friends in Oregon and California who have been required to evacuate, and we are just hoping and praying that they don’t lose their homes in this mess.
While homes are replaceable, lives are not. Unfortunately, 12 people so far have perished as a result of the catastrophic conditions on the west coast, and countless other lives are being threatened as the fires move in on residential areas, and firefighters struggle to control the blazes.
Those of us, lucky enough not to be in the middle of the disaster, are left wondering what we can do to help.
It is important to note that there are some not-so-reputable people posing as California Firefighter employees on a GoFundMe page, but they allegedly are not affiliated, nor are they using the money to help with the disaster.
We got you, though. Here are some legitimate organizations that can use any help you are able to give.
- GoFundMe has set up an OFFICIAL fundraiser for the California wildfires. They have already reached their goal of $120K, but they can always, always, always use more. There are SO many people negatively affected by these fires.
- The Bay Area Foodie Wildfire Fund has been set up on GoFundMe by part of the vegan community in the Bay Area, and the funds are going to Sweet Farm, a local animal sanctuary that is helping displaced animals.
- The Puente’s Emergency Fire Relief Fund will go to support local rural communities in the Pescadero, Loma Mar, and Año Nuevo areas.
- The Red Cross has made it super easy to donate to the fire relief effort. All you have to do is TEXT “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
- You can also donate at the Red Cross website. Just designate that you want the funds go to the “California Wildfires.”
- The Red Cross also has a mail in form that you can print off. The address to send your donation to is right on the bottom of the form.
- The Salvation Army is accepting donations to help with first responders and victims of the fires, supplying things like food, drink, and emotional support.
- The Solano Disaster Relief Fund gives small grants to victims of the fires.
- The United Way of Northern California is also giving small grants to victims that have lost their homes and personal belongings in the fires.
- The Santa Cruz County Community Foundation is accepting donations that will go towards grants for fire victims.
If you are in the area, you might want to consider giving your time. Contact one of the charities above, and see if they also have an army of people on the ground that you can join to help in the cause.