By Mauri Shuler
Jamie Rosales lives in Oakmont, one of the Santa Rosa neighborhoods devastated by the wildfires. His neighbor woke him up at 1 a.m. Monday. They were told to leave and found a Red Cross shelter through word-of-mouth. Read more
By Mauri Shuler
The volunteers at a Red Cross shelter find they often have a great deal in common. In fact, at the Santa Rosa Veterans Hall Shelter, the group that randomly came together to help evacuees found they had less than 6 degrees of separation among them. Read more
By Lori Wilson
“We didn’t even notice faces; we didn’t know who was there. I remember seeing scrubs, but beyond that nothing; we were focused on the job we had to do,” said Kyle Parkinson, Shelter Manager for the Sonoma/Marin Fairgrounds Shelter. Read more
By Mauri Shuler
Simon Timony told his two bosses (he works two jobs – as a caretaker and a bartender) that he was leaving his home in San Francisco to help fire victims in the North Bay. Then he got a ride to his assignment in Napa County. “It was so horrific, I had to get here.” Read more
By Mauri Shuler
Every disaster response needs a Tamara Jones.
When disasters strike, Americans are generous and caring. They want to help, so they freely donate goods such as clothes and household items. Sometimes the donations are overwhelming to the evacuation shelter staff as they are focused on the residents being displaced. Shelter volunteers focus on providing comfort, getting residents settled, and ensuring they are made as comfortable as possible. The California wildfires were no exception, as the in-kind donations came pouring in from neighbors and surrounding communities. Read more
By Barbara Wood
Blanca Harnwell came to the American Red Cross shelter at the Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa on October 12 because she needed a change of clothes. Almost all of her belongings had been lost in the wildfire that leveled her Santa Rosa home a few days earlier. Blanca, a 46-year resident of Sonoma County, was able to find a pair of jeans and some capris that fit. In the disarrayed piles of clothing that had been donated by a generous community, she found something more: a volunteer job that allowed her to take her mind off her personal woes while she helped others. Read more
Your Red Cross Update 