In an area destroyed by fire, the need for money, clothes, food and other necessities in and around Butte County as the result of the devastating Camp Fire is acute.

The strong emphasis, though, is on “money.”

“Yes, money is the greatest need,” said Logan Todd, director of communications and grant programs for the Chico-based North Valley Community Foundation, which is collecting money to help fire evacuees and the organizations sheltering them.

Money can cover a multitude of needs, he said.

“A tremendous amount of clothing and material donations have come in, and some of the evacuation centers are overwhelmed with materials,” Todd said.

Other charitable organizations are taking the same approach, asking for money rather than things to help fire victims. A number of nonprofits are collecting money to help, including:

  • North Valley Community Foundation, http://www.nvcf.org/fund/camp-fire-evacuation-relief-fund/
  • California State Firefighters’ Association, collecting money for firefighters who have lost their homes in the Camp Fire https://csfa.net/CSFA/CalFF/articles/Donation_Funds_for_Firefighters_Who_Have_Lost_Their_Homes_During_the_Recent_and_Tragic_NorCal_Fires.aspx
  • The Enloe Foundation, a branch of the Enloe Medical Center in Chico. The money will help hospital patients, and their families and caregivers, who have lost their homes or been displaced due to the fire. https://app.mobilecause.com/f/23ds/n
  • The Salvation Army is taking cash donations to support shelters and other services for fire evacuees https://deloro.salvationarmy.org/del_oro/camp-fire-response
  • The Los Angeles-based California Community Foundation, through its Wildfire Relief Fund, which helps various fire victims, including those of the Camp Fire: https://www.calfund.org/wildfire-relief-fund/

Other forms of help being sought and/or offered include:

  • Airbnb, the company that operates an online exchange for people renting out residences and rooms, is working to connect people who need places to stay with people who have such spaces to offer. https://www.airbnb.com/welcome/evacuees/buttecounty
  • The Chico-based nonprofit Caring Choices is working to organize volunteers to help those affected by the Camp Fire http://www.caring-choices.org/home.html
  • The American Red Cross is opening service centers in Santa Rosa and Napa to help victims of the Camp Fire. Click here for more information.

The Red Cross also is providing blood, as needed, in the fire zone. Red Cross blood donation centers are in Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, Newark, San Francisco, Pleasant Hill and other cities. For more information, people can visit https://www.redcrossblood.org.

Story originally published by Bay City News.