Your Red Cross Update

By Eric Maldonado, volunteer contributor, American Red Cross

Mark Scott, senior animal control officer and operations supervisor for the Petaluma Animal Shelter has been working around the clock since the Valley Fire erupted on Sept. 12, 2015.

When he received the request from authorities to handle animal control, Mark immediately jumped into action. The first night, as evacuees filed into Napa Fairgrounds Shelter, he saw families bringing in their cats, dogs, horses, goats and other types of animals.

As he saw the large numbers of furry friends and their people seeking safety at the fairgrounds, Mark thought to himself, “This is going to be bigger than we think.”

He knew supplies were going to be in short supply, so he used the power of social media to ask the public for supplies. Their response was immediate. As soon as donors were dropping off food and supplies, there were recipients picking them up.

As the fires continued to burn, Mark conducted search and rescue for animals in distress. He brought the animals he found to the Middletown Animal Hospital where they could be reunited with their owners.

More recently, Mark has been operating the mobile animal shelter, where residents staying at the Red Cross Shelter at the Twin Pine Casino and Hotel can check their pets in for the night or just while they sign up for Red Cross assistance. He’s knows he is providing peace of mind for pet owners while they work, sleep or seek help from one of the many relief organizations.

Mark will be going back to his day-to-day operations soon, but he’s leaving behind a several kennels, lined with used Red Cross blankets for warmth; a pop-up canopy for shade; food; and leashes for anyone who might need to use them.

Mark cares for animals so much because in his words, “It’s like helping a child, they’re defenseless. The dog can’t say thank you, but at the end of the day, you know you did something good.”

By Eric Maldonado, volunteer contributor, American Red Cross

Evan Jacobs, 11, kept close track of the Valley Fire since it started. Every day he looked at the morning newspaper to stay up to date on the firefighters’ progress. His mother, Danelle Jacobs, would even take him to the airport to see the air tankers take off to fight the flames.

Evan wondered what they could do to help those in need. “I was thinking of what my little Cub Scouts could do,” Danelle said. “Then I thought, sifter boxes!”

The group originally built 50 sifters and called the American Red Cross to see if they could help out in any other way. They asked, “Can you build 4,000?” Without hesitating, she answered that they could.

So on a Wednesday night in Santa Rosa, dozens of Boy Scouts and their parents began to assemble 4,000 sifter boxes for those affected by the Valley Fire.

Danelle Jacobs with Steve Countouriotis, Board Chair, American Red Cross of the California Northwest

These boxes are desperately needed by local residents as they search through the ashes of their homes. Each box brings them closer to finding precious mementos and memories.

As a Scout, Evan feels he has an obligation to assist those in need. “I was seeing all the thousands of homes that were destroyed and thought the Scouts should help,” he said. “I think it’s cool to see all the Scouts building sifter boxes and spending their time helping the victims of the Valley Fire.”

The sifter building project would not be possible without the help of the following generous partners: The Boy Scouts of America Packs of the Redwood Empire Council; Agwood Mill and Lumber in Ukiah for generously donating all of the lumber and pre-cutting it to size; Coldwell Banker agents for their financial donations; Lowe’s for generously discounting the rest of the needed supplies and providing transportation of the materials; and Amy’s Kitchen for kindly providing their parking lot as a space for the Boy Scouts to gather and to build.