How You Can Help North Bay Fire Victims

As you know, just over a week ago devastating wildfires swept across Napa and Sonoma counties. Here’s how you can help North Bay fire victims. The scale of loss is truly mind-numbing. Many families fled with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and lost everything.

The response from within these communities and from supporters near and far has been incredible. Still, those affected will need continued support in the weeks and months ahead, and likely for years to come. If you’d like to help, you’ll find a list of resources below. Please share this with family, friends, or anyone who might be able to lend a hand.

We’ll continue to update this list as we find additional resources. If you have suggestions to add, please email us at help@lastbottlewines.com.

Monetary Donations

There has been an outpouring of donations of physical goods. We're talking thousands of tooth brushes and deodorant sticks, piles of toys and clothing. These things help, but they also put a drain on resources at relief centers. The Center for International Disaster writes: "Unlike material donations, cash involves no transportation costs, shipping delays, or customs fees. It also enables relief organizations to spend more time providing aid by spending less time managing goods." Right now, the simplest and most effective thing you can do is to donate money. Any amount helps.

• Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund: http://www.napavalleycf.org/fire-donation-page/
• Sonoma County Resilience Fund: http://www.sonomacf.org/sonoma-county-resilience-fund/
• United Way of the Wine Country Relief Fund: https://www.unitedwaywinecountry.org/
• Redwood Credit Union North Bay Fire Relief Fund: https://www.redwoodcu.org/northbayfirerelief
• Disaster Fund for Mendocino County: https://communityfound.org/community/leadership-projects/wildfire-disaster-response/
• GoFundMe California Fire Relief has a list of funds you can choose to contribute to, including : https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/california
• The Tipping Point Community started a fund to aid low-income communities affected by the fire.
• Petaluma-based Fundly recommends this one.
• The city of Santa Rosa has its own GoFundMe page for Tubbs Fire victims.
• Russian River Brewing Company is launching a fundraiser for fire victims, and for every $25 given, you'll be entered for a chance to cut the line to get Pliny the Younger in 2018.
• Jewish Family and Children's Services is accepting donations to the Sonoma County Emergency Assistance Fund for fire relief.
• The Latino Community Foundation is accepting donations to benefit the North Bay Organizing Project, in Santa Rosa, La Luz Center, in Sonoma, and UpValley Family Centers in Calistoga.

Ways You Can Help Locally:

If you live in the Bay Area, there are some good options available for getting involved:

• Airbnb Open Homes (Bay Area): From 10/8-10/30, consider opening your home to those displaced, free of charge: https://www.airbnb.com/welcome/evacuees/northerncaliforniafireevacuees
• Love on Haight Clothing Store (San Francisco) is accepting item donations until next week: https://www.facebook.com/LoveonHaight/
• Fort Point Beer Company (San Francisco) has a donation drop-off location through Monday, 10/16: https://www.facebook.com/fortpointbeer/photos/a.458723377583319.1073741829.427010514087939/1321087311346917/
• Tutto Capelli Salon (San Carlos) has a donation drop-off location through Saturday, 10/14: https://www.facebook.com/Tuttocapellisalon/posts/1522139317868826

National Organizations

• Red Cross Disaster Relief: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation

Animal Support

A lot of people think wine country is filled with lavish estates and families made of money. Not so. The area is rooted in agriculture and is propped up by humble farmers whose land is home to cattle, horses, goats, and other animals. Many of those animals were displaced in the fire.

• Napa Community Animal Response Team is looking for volunteers and shelter for evacuated animals: https://www.facebook.com/napacart/posts/1970475839874060
• The Milo Foundation: http://www.milofoundation.org/
• Humane Society of Sonoma County, 5345 CA-12. (Santa Rosa)
• Humane Society of Napa County, 3265 California Blvd. (Napa)
• Yuba-Sutter SPCA, 745 Sutter St. (Yuba)

Finally, it's worth mentioning one of the simplest ways to lend support to North Bay fire victims is to buy and drink Napa and Sonoma wines. Use hashtags #buynapa and #buysonoma to share your bottles on social media to help spread the word.