The wildfires burning since Sunday night throughout the North Bay Wine Country region have claimed at least 29 lives, and displaced an estimated 20,000 people from their homes. As of Thursday morning, tens of thousands of Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers are still without power in Sonoma and Napa counties, according to SFGate.
If you would like to help those affected by the Northern California wildfires, CaliforniaVolunteers (the state office that manages programs and initiatives aimed at increasing the number of Californians engaged in service and volunteering) has collated several organizations accepting financial contributions. These organizations are listed below:
- Community Foundation of Sonoma County: Resiliency Donation Page
Serving Sonoma County - Napa Valley Community Foundation: Fire Donation Page
Serving Napa County - Community Foundation of Mendocino County: Disaster Donation Page
Serving Mendocino County - United Way Bay Area
Serving Napa County - United Way of the Wine Country
Serving Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma Counties - Center for Volunteering and Nonprofit Leadership
Serving Napa and Sonoma Counties
CaliforniaVolunteers notes that financial donations to grant-making organizations and nonprofit disaster response organizations are the best way to help individuals and families affected by disasters. If you would like to donate, cash donations are preferred because they reduce the amount of labor and the expense of sorting, packing, transporting, and distributing donated goods. Relief agencies can use cash to meet survivors’ specific needs more quickly while also supporting local economic recovery.
For more information about donating or volunteering, visit the CaliforniaVolunteers website dedicated to the wildfires. The organization strongly encourages donors to carefully research charitable organizations prior to donating to ensure that their donated funds will have the desired result. For additional information and easy-to-use tips on avoiding charity scams following a disaster, please visit the California Office of the Attorney General Charities website.
And if you decide to volunteer, contact an established organization to ensure that you are appropriately trained and supported to respond in the most effective way.
Other helpful links:
- Redwood Credit Union North Bay Fire Relief
- Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund
- 5 Spots to Find Out How You Can Help North Bay Fire Relief Efforts
- “How to help: Volunteer, donate food, supplies, money to support Sonoma County fire victims,” Santa Rosa Press Democrat
- “How you can help people affected by the North Bay fires (or get help if you are an evacuee),” SFGate
- “How to Help Animals Affected by Northern California Wildfires,” KQED News
Published on 2020-10-08 12:52:53