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Update Community Bridges Aids Fire Evacuees, By Jondi Gumz
COMMUNITY NEWS Community Bridges Aids Fire Evacuees
By Jondi Gumz
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Mountain Community Resources in Felton, a program run by the 43-year-old nonprofit Community Bridges, is closed due to the CZU Lightning Complex fire but Community Bridges has been active in supporting residents evacuated from San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley — and the firefighters, too.
“We have made the newly installed shower facilities at Mountain Community Resources in Felton available to firefighters,” said Amy Hanley, marketing & communications manager at Community Bridges.
With more than 45,000 county residents ordered to evacuate, Community Bridges purchased food, hygiene supplies and water for the county evacuation shelter sites, and staff and volunteers assembled kits for individual use.
Central Coast Energy Services donated “a huge amount of sleeping bags, personal protection equipment and hand sanitizer” which Community Bridges delivered Saturday to the newly opened shelter at Harbor High School in Santa Cruz.
Starting Friday and over the weekend, efforts were made to reach out to people who are homeless to make them aware that shelter is available when the air outside is so smoky.
“Word of mouth is important,” Hanley
Photo Credit: Maria Hernandez-Ramirez Community Bridges staff and volunteers assemble supplies for individual use. said, noting it’s harder to look up shelter resources on a cell phone.
She said providing paper copies of a flyer with resources is a strategy that’s working.
One more resource: Community Bridges’ LiftLine service is providing transportation throughout the county to seniors and people with disabilities. To reach Lift Line call 831-688-9663. n •••
To support Community Bridges with a donation, visit http://communitybridges.org/ covid19/#bbox-root
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“Help” from page 17
100% of donors’ gifts will be used grateful for the thousands for grantmaking. All donations are generous donations to the Fire tax-deductible. 3. VOLUNTEER Response Fund which have
Volunteer at a Fire Shelter in Wat- come in from all over Cali- sonville, Santa Cruz or Soquel. https:// fornia and across the nation. In scvolunteercenter.org/vc_blog/ a time when people are already fire-safety-and-how-you-can-help/ stretched financially from the
Learn about opportunities COVID-19 pandemic, folks are through the Volunteer Center. https:// coming together. It’s this spirit scvolunteercenter.org/vc_blog/ of kindness that gives me hope fire-safety-and-how-you-can-help/ Help pack and distribute food with that we will be able to rebuild Second Harvest. https://www.the- and heal our beloved com- foodbank.org/volunteer/ munity, together.”
Resources — Susan True
The County’s Fire Response website is the best location for current information. group for mutual aid. Post what https://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/FireRe- you need and what you can offer. sources.aspx https://www.facebook.com/groups/ 4. STAY INFORMED santacruzcountyfireassistance/
CAL Fire San Mateo–Santa Cruz Unit Santa Cruz County Fire Assistance Latest evacuation orders and most up to Community organized mutual aid. Post date info is posted on their Twitter page: what you need and what you can offer. https://twitter.com/CALFIRECZU https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/
Map of fires and evacuations with d/1cw5alx8tNIWjpLN3XdhWSEqA7F3 zones. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/ YMntk-GupPNcuJAs/htmlview# stories/f0121f7f2f0941afb3ed70529b2cee75 Resilient Together List of road closures https://www. sccroadclosure.org/index.html W e are grateful to our firefighters, the County, our local news outlets,
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s disaster service workers, and all of those Office https://www.facebook.com/ working tirelessly to keep Santa Cruz SantaCruzSheriffsOffice/ County residents safe during this chal-
County of Santa Cruz Emergency Ser- lenging time. vices https://twitter.com/sccounty As with past local disasters, there will Help To Be Received be a long road ahead for individuals recov- 1. DIRECT AID ering from devastation. But Santa Cruz
Victims of the fire can start an appli- County has always stepped up to help cation for federal aid at disasterassistance. neighbors in need and we believe it will be gov or 1-800-621-3362. the same now.
American Red Cross: Call 1-866-272- The Community Foundation was 2237 for assistance. created to meet disaster with generosity 2. SHELTER & PARKING SITES and action. In times like this, giving locally
Map of current shelter & parking sites is especially critical. As we’ve done for past and occupancy on the Santa Cruz County fires, floods, earthquakes, we embrace our website: role to inspire local giving that meets local
In English https://www.co.santa-cruz. needs. n ca.us/FireResources.aspx •••
En Español https://www.co.santa-cruz. Susan True is executive director of Com- ca.us/FireResources/FireResourcesSpanish. munity Foundation Santa Cruz County. aspx
3. FOOD
Family Resource Calendar Food pantry, meal sites, crisis support, and healthcare. http:// craft-cfscc-prod.s3.amazonaws. com/uploads/AUGUST-BilingualFamily-Resource-Calendar.pdf
Need Food? Call the Com- munity Food Hotline (831) 662-0991
4. TRANSPORTATION
Need a ride to an evacuation center or other safe destination in Santa Cruz County? Call Lift Line at (831) 688-9663
5. MUTUAL AID
Santa Cruz Fire Assis- A map showing known or suspected damage from the CZU tance & Resources Facebook fires.
