Many are asking how they can help those affected by the wildfires in our community, so we wanted to share this wonderful compilation of organizations. Please share it widely.
Rogue Valley UU Fellowship will be assisting folks affected by the wildfires via our Minister’s Discretionary Fund, as well as through the Ashland BIPoC Sanctuary. Donations to those two RVUUF funds can be made at https://rvuuf.breezechms.com/give/online. Simply chose “BIPoc Sanctuary” or “Minister’s Discretionary” in the first drop-down box to select the fund you wish to donate to.
There are many additional organizations helping those affected by the wildfires in our community. This beautiful list was compiled by local Sarah Beata Delong and provided to RVUUF by Julie Gillis.
The offers for help are starting to come in to my community here in Southern Oregon.
If you are able to, please consider donating money instead of goods. There is a phenomenon called “the second disaster” where communities affected by natural disasters, like our catastrophic fire, are inundated with material goods that they can’t use and have nowhere to put. People don’t need a whole wardrobe of clothes right now. Many of them have nowhere to keep it. They need access to housing and the necessities while they get back on their feet. People who lost their homes will be moving a lot in the next few weeks, they don’t need to be bogged down by stuff. Money gives people the flexibility to take care of their individual basic needs and rebuild their lives.
I have a couple recommendations for general funds to donate to:
The United Way of Jackson County and Rogue Credit Union. They are local organizations with impeccable track records. They’ve done this before. They don’t take a cut of the money and even supplement the funds. They are also quick to get the money back out to those who need it to survive. Your dollars go farther with smaller and more local groups.
United Way: http://www.unitedwayofjacksoncounty.org/give/
Rogue Credit Union: https://www.roguecu.org/community/donate
Phoenix-Talent School District estimates that 50% of their families have lost their homes, and Phoenix Elementary School is placing that number closer to 80%. If you would like to contribute to a fund to help the families from Phoenix-Talent School District, send a physical check to: Phoenix Talent Fire Relief Fund, PO Box 937, Medford, OR 97501 (Please make checks payable to: Jackson County School District #4). Or you can send a donation via PayPal @AllanaDrossos, or Venmo @Allana-Drossos, and put “Phoenix Talent Fire Relief Fund” as the subject. 100% of these funds will go directly to the families.
The MRG Foundation has started The Rogue Valley Relief Fund. This Fund is administered by a steering committee of organizations and grassroots groups based in the Rogue Valley that are already working to respond to the fires, including Rogue Action Center, Rogue Climate, SOHealthy, SO Equity, and Siskiyou Rising Tide. The Fund has been seeded with a $10,000 initial investment from MRG and has a goal of raising $500,000 over the next six months. The money will go directly to help people most impacted by these fires in the Rogue Valley. In the short term, it will go to those who have been displaced by fires. In the long term, it will support people who have lost their homes, prioritizing those who have the least access to aid. To donate to the Fund, go here: https://www.mrgfoundation.org/donate-to-rogue-valley-relief-fund/
Southern Oregon Education Service District is another highly reputable local organization that has been serving our community for years. They are tied into the migrant community and can get aid to them quickly and efficiently. You will have to write them a physical check as they don’t have an online donation site yet. Checks can be made out to SOESD Migrant Education. Mail them to 487 Rock St., Ashland, OR 97520.
SOEquity is a local activist group working for racial justice in our valley. They have started a fire fund. They are working with other local groups committed to serving our Black, indigenous, and communities of color. Any funds they raised will be used to directly support these organizations and communities. Donate to them here: https://www.soequity.org/fire-relief
Unete Center for Farm Worker Advocacy has also started a fire fund. Unete has been hard at work supporting our farm worker and immigrant communities for years. They are another upstanding local group that does not take a cut of the money. They pass it directly on to those in need. http://uneteoregon.org/
Over 100 staff and 300 students in the Ashland School District lived in the path of the fire. The Ashland Schools Foundation has already distributed over $30,000 to local families in need. They are not done fundraising.
Text ASSIST to 72572 to get a link to their donation page
Go to https://asf.salsalabs.org/asd-fire-assist to donate online
Via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/2231160
Mail donations to ASF, 100 Walker Ave, Ashland, OR 97520.
Please also consider contributing to the Walker Elementary community. Many Walker families have lost their homes. This includes teachers, staff, AND students. The school has been working tirelessly to support the community throughout the pandemic and they are continuing to do so for fire victims.
Donate here: https://donate.ashland.k12.or.us/wolfpacksupport/?fbclid=IwAR1InNlEKuF3cV9njcGXTMWT5DKuTkxuDqKR_F0vg9zCym_n-MvHKAPzoIk
A local community member has started a spreadsheet of the most underfunded GoFundMe’s from the victims of the Almeda Fire. It is heartbreaking how many there are. Find them here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ugHQgi6s0XkcRy8i6Ak8C_jniaCeJmqguAg1cGnRac/mobilebasic
Several Oregon Shakespeare Festival employees have lost everything. One of our colleagues has compiled a list of all their GoFundMe and PayPal accounts. Follow this link if you feel moved to donate directly:
https://linktr.ee/memegarcia?fbclid=IwAR2jnVqX8v6jY_uzSVNNF_3obPtyitO9Vh9pwLxCNFi5YmJhI_ueKaJLbuU
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