Camp Fire

As I'm sure most of you have seen the news of the horrible destruction due to wildfires in California going on right now. Well, nowhere has it been more impacting than Butte County, in Northern California. 

As of right now, the Camp Fire (named after the area in which it started, Camp Creek), has destroyed over 120,000 acres and is still only 35% contained, a week later. Over 8,000 structures, mostly residential (homes), have been destroyed. 52,000 people are still under mandatory evacuation orders. Most don’t have places to stay and don’t know where they’ll eat their next meal.

48 people have died from this fire alone (not counting the other ones in CA) so far, with over 200 more still unaccounted for, making it the most destructive and deadly fire in California history.

What most of you probably don't know, is that much of that damage and loss is centered around a small town named Paradise.

Paradise is my hometown. My family has lived there for ~35 years. My dad still calls it home, not to mention the hundreds of other people I’ve met in my time there.

Simply, the town is absolutely decimated. A week later, we still don't know the extent of the damage, and undoubtedly won’t even be allowed back into the town for several more weeks, at minimum.

Several people have asked me about how they can help those affected by the Camp Fire.

The single spot I can think of that could potentially benefit the MOST people, is the North Valley Community Foundation. You can find their gofundme donation link here:

https://www.gofundme.com/puc9z-camp-fire-relief

I also just learned of the World Central Kitchen, whose chefs provide fresh-cooked meals for first responders and evacuees and are onsite in Chico.

You can donate to them here: https://www.worldcentralkitchen.org/donate

A specific church in Chico, East Avenue Church, that is both a donation center as well as a shelter for evacuees, has also posted an Amazon shopping list that you can buy items from, which will be delivered directly to their facility.

The link to the Amazon shopping list is here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/8CC6UT6UVAJT/ref=cm_go_nav_hz

**make sure to use "Birgette Gunderson's Gift Registry Address" as the shipping address, which should come up when you checkout** If not, their address is 1184 East Ave, Chico, CA 95926.

I ask that you donate anything you can. It doesn’t have to be much, but whatever you’re able to.

Also, please share this to as many people as you can to expand the reach.

As for my own family, all are evacuated and safe, and are in remarkably good spirits, given the situation. We still don’t know the status of our house up there. We might not know for weeks.

As for me personally, I’m completely heartbroken for my little town. I’m numb. I’m sleep-deprived. I feel helpless sitting here ~1,800 miles away from my friends and family. I’ll hopefully be making the trip soon to visit and try to volunteer wherever I can.

Thank you for anything you can do!

#paradisestrong