CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

Our response to the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, California was a great success! We were able to partner with the same organization we partnered with during last year’s fires. Through our partnership, we were able to distribute supplies to evacuees staying in shelters and to those who had permanently lost their homes and their belongings.

Our partners had a makeshift distribution center inside an unused warehouse. Families and individuals were able to visit the distribution center and receive supplies such as nonperishable foods, personal hygiene items, and new clothing items.

174 houses were burned in Healdsburg and Geyserville areas of Sonoma County. Over 77,000 acres were destroyed…. including many farms and vineyards (…meaning, many people have lost their jobs along with their homes…)

We were, however, pleased to hear about CalFire’s great strategies of evacuating Sonoma County residents, and we were especially happy to hear that no lives were lost due to this Kincade Fire.

The distribution center where our supplies were shipped was not only a place where people could visit and obtain the things they needed, but the volunteers there also delivered supplies to area shelters where people have been staying. Due to the widespread multiple fires in the area, some had to travel as far as 80 miles to find an emergency shelter that had room for them!

I just can’t imagine what that must have been like.

I want to thank each person who donated towards this effort. Your kindness is so very much appreciated. I hope you will join our team in celebrating the lifted evacuation and the joy many Sonoma County residents must feel in going home… and I hope you will join us in prayer for those who are now looking for their new beginning.

In service and partnership,