Over the last couple of years, California has been hit by several major wildfires. The latest wildfires have displaced hundreds of thousands of people, roughly fifty people have died in one of the fires, and there has been a bunch of property/forest damage. Some people have also been sharing their terrifying journeys trying to escape while completely surrounded by fire.
Watching from hundreds of miles away has felt daunting but there are ways you can help the people and animals impacted by these wildfires. Before you donate, it will be important to research both what organizations and people on the ground need (money is a great way to help) and how organizations might be using your donations. Charity Navigator and Google are two great places to start this research!
Here are some great lists of places accepting help for the latest wildfires:
- How to Help Those Affected by the California Fires by Julia Jacobs, The New York Times
- Here’s How You Can Help Those Affected by the California Wildfires by Bethany Hines, CNN
- How to Help Victims of the Califonia Wildfires by Alejandra Salazar, Refinery29 (this is actually from August 2018 but sadly, still relevant)
Some of the places you can support include: CNN’s Impact Your World fund where you can donate to the fund and support 14 different organizations or donate directly to one of the 14 directly; the Humane Society of Ventura County; the Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation; the Haven Humane Society in Redding, CA and Shasta County; the California Community Foundation has a wildlife relief fund to support those who need financial help after the fires. Plus, both GoFundMe and Google have lists of crowdfunding campaigns and AirBnB has a page for how to host people in need of emergency housing.
Want to help with disaster relief for the #CampFire? @Animal_Place is delivering supplies for Butte County animal victims and guardians, and will continue until help is no longer needed. You can help by donating from their Amazon wishlist: https://t.co/QsK7Vd0kMl. pic.twitter.com/iTLaJ89tGo
— Gregory Reiter Fund (@gregreiterfund) November 14, 2018
If you are affected by the wildfires and are looking for shelter for your animals, the city of Rolling Hills Estates is taking in horses affected by the Woolsey Fire and the Humane Society of Ventura County is accepting domesticated animals like dogs, cats, and horses.
