Wine Country Wildfires - How You Can Help

This past week, wildfires ravaged the Northern California wine country communities of Santa Rosa, Napa, Sonoma, and surrounding areas. The widespread devastation is heart-breaking—as wineries burned down, homes were destroyed, and lives were lost.

Even as of this post, Friday at 1pm, we’re hearing reports that there are as many as 17 fires still un-contained in the region.

Bevvy is working with local startups, wineries, and other organizations to donate much needed supplies to the first responders and others on the frontline battling these fires, and we’re compiling here a list of different ways you can help.

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Emergency Shelter

The majority of hotels and other lodging in the area are fully booked. For those who are in a position to open up their homes for emergency shelter, Airbnb is an option. You can also contact your local evacuation centers.

Those who have been displaced and are in need of shelter, here are some options below.

Open your home on Airbnb. If you are in the region and able to help provide shelter for evacuees, you can join Airbnb’s community of hosts and open your heart and home to evacuees. If you have been displaced and need to find shelter, look for available homes here.
Temporary housing from SHARE Sonoma County. SHARE (Shared Housing And Resource Exchange) in Sonoma County is offering temporary housing for evacuees and those displaced from the fires. If you need housing, give them a call at 707-765-8488 (extension 126) or email them at SHAREFire@petalumapeople.org. Those who have a home to offer, please also give them a call.
A list of evacuation centers from abc7 News. Scroll down past the evacuation orders and list of fires to get to the evacuation center list.
Deeply discounted rates at a San Francisco hotel. Westin St. Francis is offering evacuees a discounted rate of $99 a night. To help those truly in need and avoid being taken advantage of, the hotel is asking for proof of address at check-in—simply present a valid ID showing that your address is in the affected area.
Shelter and clothes via Love On Haight. For evacuees that have made it to the city (San Francisco), Love on Haight is welcoming anyone affected by the fires at their location on 1400 Haight St. They have free clothes, some spots to stay in the city, and can help with supplies. For those wishing to donate clothes, supplies, or open up their home, contact the store.

Supplies and Donations

Many of the first responders are battling at the frontline with minimal sleep and no breaks. There is a need of N95 respirators and N95 masks, and food—simple high-energy food that can be eaten quickly and on-the-go, such as protein bars, high-calorie energy bars, and supplements, Gatorade and other sports drinks, and anything else they can eat on the fly.

Other needed donations for displaced individuals include blankets, water, food, and general supplies. Money is always best for those that are able to donate funds, particularly to organizations that are capable of distributing it properly.

Bluxome Winery donation drop-offs. The good folks at Bluxome Winery have organized supply deliveries to the frontline. They have two dropoff locations in San Francisco—their SOMA location at 53 Bluxome Street (between 4th and 5th, just north of the Cal Train station) and another location in Ghirardelli Square near Fisherman’s Wharf. They are accepting donations today and throughout next week.
Yuba County donations. Yuba County is accepting donations for evacuees. Current needs include toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, tissues, diapers, socks, hair brushes, and more.
GoFundMe donations. GoFundMe has a dedicated donations hub for the Northern California fire relief efforts. Choose from general funds to be distributed across various organizations, or opt for individual funds to benefit specific families and entities.
Other donation options. Our friends at Eater have compiled a good list of other donation options here.

Volunteering

Manpower is frequently needed in situations like this, but rather than heading up to the disaster area blindly and potentially putting yourself at risk (or getting in the way), it’s recommended that you get involved through existing organized efforts.

Check with local volunteer resources on ways to volunteer, or whether they still need volunteers or not, as sometimes they get an influx of hundreds of volunteer requests.

Here are a few ways you can volunteer:

Volunteer at Evacuation Centers. We linked earlier to a list of evacuation centers, which is a great place to start. They may need help distributing supplies and serving food among other things, and are experienced with organizing recovery efforts.
Volunteer Center of Sonoma County. Interested volunteers may call the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County at 707-573-3399 or email info@volunteernow.org.
Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership. Those interested in volunteering may sign up with the CVNL and create a volunteer profile here.
Red Cross. Interested volunteers may sign up with the Red Cross here.