California Fires: Tis the Season for Giving!

The destruction a fire or disaster brings to a family’s hopes and dreams is devastating. The lucky ones escape a fire uninjured, only to find all their possessions have been destroyed. They cannot replace their many years of sacrifice and struggle to regain all that was lost. A little comfort in their time of need is so crucial to their survival. Over the holiday season, we wish to shed some light on a few of the organizations that have made a great impact on a few communities so close to home to us here in northern California. In this time of giving, we hope you, our friends, will find it in your hearts to help support those greatly affected.

2Girls Hunting is sponsored by Girls With Guns Clothing

The Carr Fire this past summer was literally our back yard. We watched friends get burned out of their homes, we saw people’s lives get turned completely upside down and we lived amongst the poor air quality for weeks. The loss of first responders’ lives hits close to home with our passion for firefighting.

The Camp Fire last month burned in a county just to the south of us.  It has a high school in our competitive league, relatives of our friends and also, is a community similar to our hometown. At least 85 people have died (and many more are unaccounted for). According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the blaze covered more than 153,000 acres, destroying nearly 14,000 homes and at least 500 businesses – including schools and hospitals.

We can only imagine that the holiday season will be a tough time for many in the Paradise, Redding and surrounding communities: living in make shift shelters, being separated from family, losing loved ones (including pets), losing jobs, missing school and not having a house to call “home” for the holidays. We have been lucky, as our home has stayed safe during this past fire season; however, we would like to highlight a few organizations that we feel are in need of some extra care, attention and financial assistance during this time of need. Organizations that are all about giving back to their community.

• UC Davis veterinary team and School of Veterinary Medicine ran a relief effort for the fire victims of both fires, and veterinary staff tended to animals brought in from the fire zones, taking in dogs, cats, pigs, goats, donkeys, horses and koi. The Veterinary Catastrophic Need Fund provides veterinary medical treatments at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for animals that are injured in wildfires, natural disasters or other accidents.
• At least 53 firefighters have lost their homes to the wildfire in Butte County. It’s not just firefighters who have lost their homes, but also other emergency personnel, police officers and public servants. The mayor of Paradise lost her home, along with the town council, all public works’ employees and the majority of the police force. The International Association of Firefighters set up a disaster relief center for firefighters of Butte County and helped more than a dozen emergency responders. The California Fire Foundation provides emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they protect.

• When the deadly Camp Fire started to close in on Feather River Hospital in the town of Paradise, nurses were forced to evacuate their critically sick patients without warning. Feather River Hospital is the top employer in the town with about 1,000 part-time and full-time employees, many losing their homes.  Enloe Foundation Camp Fire Relief Fund donations will be used to help caregivers, patients and families who have lost their homes or been displaced due to the fire. Donate here or text “CampFireRelief” to 91999 to support the many people affected by the Camp Fire.

• The North Valley Community Foundation has activated the Northern California Fire Relief Fund to raise money to support the operations sheltering evacuees of the Camp Fire. Right here in Northern California, we have make shift refugee camps in need of money for supplies, medical attention, food and general care. Once the immediate needs are met, the funds will transition to supporting long-term recovery efforts.
• You may not know this, but Aaron Rogers from the Green Bay Packers is a Butte County Native. Along with his donation to the community, he has set up The Aaron Rodgers NorCal Fire Recovery Fund to assist with kids’ programs (in school, after school, extracurricular) along with youth and high School Sports. The Butte County Office of Education also created the Schools Fire Relief Fund to provide support directly to schools in Butte County. 

With the holiday season upon us, the hustle and bustle of family dinners and gift giving can sometimes make us forget the little things.  There are many who need a little extra support during the holidays, and local groups look upon the community to help in that cause. Let’s be that community. The magic of the holiday season begins with you! Donating may seem like one small gesture, but to someone else, that one gesture could be absolutely life changing. 

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  About Morgan Mason Baseley

  Morgan and Mason Baseley are just everyday girls who love the outdoors and who happen to be identical twins that also love hunting – from waterfowl to big game. "We are here to empower girls and shooting sports. At 17-years old, we are the next generation of female hunters and need to be able to speak up to protect our hunting rights and protect the Second Amendment." Sponsored by Girls with Guns Clothing, these young women are given the platform to make their voices heard in their column at The WON, "2Girls Hunting." They also speak at banquets about hunting and write a blog for the Sportsmen’s Alliance. View all posts by Morgan Mason Baseley →