Dear Friends,

 

When I woke up two and a half weeks ago and learned of the fires in Redwood Valley, I made a goal of raising $500,000 for our community.  I am absolutely blown away that the Community Foundation has exceeded that goal so quickly and am deeply grateful to all of our donors and the Foundation staff and volunteers (Mary Buckley, Katie Gibbs and Jim Moorehead) who have worked tirelessly processing and acknowledging the gifts and deploying resources into our community quickly and responsively.

 

As of today, The Disaster Fund for Mendocino County has received over $700,000 in contributions from over 1130 donors. Major contributors to the fund include George & Ruth Bradford Foundation, Harvest Market and its shoppers, Sonoma Clean Power, Fetzer Vineyards, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Ukiah Natural Foods Coop and its shoppers, Peet's Coffee & Tea and its customers, In-N-Out Burger and several anonymous donors.  Additionally, we have received significant contributions from 10 of our Community Foundation donor advisors.

 

100% of all donations are being distributed to those in need, thanks to a sponsorship of our administrative costs by Obenyah LLP, CPAs, Fetzer Vineyards, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, and an anonymous donor.

 

While the Disaster Fund has already provided nearly $50,000 of immediate relief for those displaced by the evacuations and fires, it is also going to provide for the short-term (temporary housing, replacement of essential household items and medical care or counseling) and long-term needs of those rebuilding from the fire.  It will address the needs in the coming months, and also in the next few years, as it can take as long as five years to complete all the rebuilding that needs to happen. 

 

The recovery process will not only include the physical rebuilding, but also the impact on mental health as the memories of the traumatic evacuations and losses will last long into the future. The fires were violent and scary. And the recovery from that goes beyond just clearing the rubble, but healing our hearts and minds too.  Recovery is a long road and it is our capacity to be there for each other that will get us through. The Community Foundation is committed to being part of the healing process and will continually assess and evaluate the needs of our community throughout the journey ahead.

 

To be part of the ongoing efforts, donations to the Disaster Fund for Mendocino County can be made at the Community Foundation's website, www.communityfound.org or by mailing or dropping off a check to the Community Foundation office at 204 South Oak Street, Ukiah, CA 95482.