How You Can Help Kincade Fire Relief Efforts

This week, as the Kincade Fire rages on prompting more evacuations and preemptive power outages to prevent further fires, fire relief organizations are on the ground providing shelter and food for evacuees. 

Three days worth of non-perishable food and water is a line item commonly seen on evacuation packing lists but most residents of this fire-stricken and earthquake-prone state can’t quite quantify what that looks like. Add on the rolling blackouts by PG&E that have affected residents and food businesses all over Northern California, and food preparedness becomes an even more abstract concept. (If you’re wondering how to prepare for a power outage and what is safe to eat during one, find our guide here).

Thankfully, organizations like World Central Kitchen, renowned chef José Andres’s “first food-responder” non-profit, are on the ground and in action in the North Bay feeding evacuees and first responders. Yesterday at the Sonoma Fairgrounds, chef Tyler Florence and volunteers from World Central Kitchen served up 6,000 meals. 

Other groups are focusing their relief efforts on addressing marginalized communities who face increased risk in these moments including Nuestra Comunidad, an organization that builds resiliency through bilingual disaster preparedness, and Corazón Healdsburg, which aims to bridge the economic gap across racial lines in Northern California. Sonoma County-based UndocuFund is also on the ground providing relief for undocumented folks affected by the fire. 

Here’s a list of other organizations in Sonoma Country providing fire relief as well as accepting donations and volunteer help:

• World Central Kitchen is accepting donations as well as volunteers who can sign up for a shift here.
• Redwood Empire Food Bank is accepting donations at several locations throughout Sonoma Country and is providing food at shelters in the area.
• Napa Valley Food Bank has outposts throughout Napa county including in Napa, Lake Berryessa, St. Helena and Calistoga.
• Sonoma Family Meal has worked with chefs, farms and restaurants to serve meals to families affected by fires since 2017. You can donate for Kincade fire relief here and sign up for a shift here.
• Volunteer Center of Sonoma is accepting volunteers through their online portal. If you have specialized skills such as food handling or CERT, you can sign up for their disaster response team here. 
• Community Foundation Sonoma County Resilience Fund is a long-term fund first started in 2017 that you can donate to. It is a source of long-term aid for Sonoma County.
• United Way of the Wine Country's Kincade Fire Emergency Relief & Recovery Fund is accepting donations to help with the relief and recovery efforts for those affected by the fire.
• California Foundation for Independent Living Centers's  Richard Devylder Fund, named after the disability rights activist, supports those who lost critical mobility and accessibility devices devices in the fires. You can specify your donation in the drop down menu here.

This list is by no means exhaustive and we encourage you to share information about volunteering and donation opportunities with us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.