​Park Fire Update and Donation Opportunity from the Diocese of Northern California

Tim Tribble with Bri and Don – after gifting with new shoes (not pictured).

Give to Disaster Resilience

The Park Fire started on July 24, 2024, as the result of a criminal act. Since that time, tens of thousands of people have been directly or indirectly impacted by this consuming blaze, due to evacuation, loss, support of the community, or reliving past traumas attached to prior experience. Your church has been walking with the survivors since the morning of July 25th, 2024.

To date, we have shared over $15,000 in gift cards for food, fuel, sundries, and 75 Project (Re)Start bins. The generosity of our congregations involved in making bins is humbling, and the financial response to this disaster has been truly awesome!

In Chico, Butte County opened a Local Assistance Center to help Park Fire survivors to get their feet back under them. A Local Assistance Center (LAC) is a one stop shop where government agencies can replace documents, and other needed information, the insurance companies can explain how the claim process works from here, legal organizations share what support can be expected from lawyers and courts, and faith based groups provide immediate needs funding and other immediate material needs.

The diocesan table at the LAC has been staffed by volunteers from Chico, Red Bluff, Sacramento, Mt. Shasta, and Cameron Park, and the volunteers have discovered that working with survivors is rewarding beyond measure. Tim Tribble of the Mission at St. Matthew’s, Sacramento, observed a young lady without shoes, so he asked for her size and left the LAC to bring her a new pair of shoes. The young lady was overwhelmed by the gesture and broke down at the table, sharing that she had lost her house in Paradise and then moved to Cohasset with her boyfriend. This family did not lose their home, and they are the only house saved in a large area of destruction – the neighbors gather on their porch and mourn their neighborhood. While we provided almost no assistance to these folks, they took the time to sit with us in a place of safety and shared that we did more for them than the agencies who provided high value resources. Please keep Bri and Don in your prayers as they return home, restock their fridge, and enjoy the new shoes!

We are currently sharing over $2,000 per day at the LAC and we continue to ask for your assistance by way of donations to the bishop’s disaster fund, participation in Project (Re)Start, and volunteering at the LAC to share time with our neighbors.