Evacuation Centers Are Filling Up With Unusable Items—Here’s What To Donate To Fire Victims
By Admin on November 13, 2018
The outpouring of support for those impacted by the Camp Fire in Northern California has been amazing. When evacuation centers for Butte County residents asked for donations, people responded hard. However, a lot of these extremely generous donations are unusable. And that means they are taking up a lot of space in the evacuation centers that need to be used for people, pets, supplies and more.
“We have buildings full of stuff,” said Kathy Ingvoldsen at the Butte County Fairgrounds, according to the publication. “In four hours, we filled up a 5,000-square-foot building full of clothes. They’re stacked up on tables five feet high,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
“The impulse from people to help is incredible; it’s very strong, but the best way to do so is by donating through the Habitat for Humanity fundraiser or through the Red Cross,” said Chuck Smith, public information officer for Sutter County.
“Cash donations and gift cards offer more flexibility,” Smith said, according to the publication. “Gift cards to places like Target or Walmart can help someone buy clothes or other items they might have left out of their go-bags.”
Additionally, gift cards for gas stations, supermarkets and pharmacies are helpful. There are certain items that can be donated to shelters though. NEW underclothing, specifically for women is needed. However, this need can vary by the shelter it’s going to. Also needed are backpacks, duffle bags and luggage reports the Redding Record Searchlight.
Governor Brown stated that the following location are nearby if you’d like to buy gift cards:
Gas Stations
Shell and Chevron
Grocery Stores
Raley’s, Food Maxx, Super Walmart and Grocery Outlet
Pharmacies
Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS
Discount Stores
Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Big Lots
Plus, places their are telethons, fundraisers (like the one Dutch Bros is holding), the Red Cross, American Way and Habitat for Humanity.
Keep an eye on the news and Facebook accounts you might be following for various shelters. As needs increase for volunteers and certain items, they will continue to reach out. And keep being awesome! At the end of the day, the support of the community is going to keep everyone going.
