California Wildfires: Here's How You Can Donate To The Victims

NAPA VALLEY, CA — As tens of thousands of acres of California land burn and heavy smoke hangs over much of the state, thousands of the wildfire's victims have been displaced and many have lost their homes. The breadth and intensity of the fires could impact well over 100,000 homes before they burn out, leaving families across the state in need.

The stories of heartbreak and loss among families whose lives were upended by the wildfires are too numerous to tell, but here are a few of them. Among them is the story of Lilly Biangani, who is about to celebrate her 10th birthday.

She needed help getting back on her feet — literally — after wildfires swept through and destroyed her and her mother’s Santa Rosa home. Born with arthrogryposis, a severe joint disorder, her legs were amputated above the knee a few years ago, and she needed prosthetics to get around.

And she does. She runs track, stands on her hands on the beach and in general refuses to be defined by limitations. But when she and her single mom rushed out to save her grandmother, who was in the path of the fire, they left her prosthetic legs, wheelchair and special bathing chair behind, KPIX reported. (For more news on the wildfires from Napa Valley Patch, sign up for real-time news alerts and free morning newsletters, or find your local California Patch here. If you have an iPhone, If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Grandma had gotten out OK, and when Lilly and her mother, Jessica, returned to their rental property, the fires had already gobbled it up, along with the special equipment Lilly needs to lead a normal life.

When Biangani took her daughter Tuesday to have casts made for new prosthetic legs and what are called “shorties,” which aid in mobility in the home, Hanger Clinic, based in Austin, Texas, had already covered the bill.

But more help is needed. Biangani was laid off from her job recently, and now they’ve lost everything they owned. You can help the family out here.

Charity Ruiz was days away from giving birth to her first son and third child when she, husband Mike and the two girls made a dash to get away from the approaching fires, according to Angel Thomson, who started a GoFundMe campaign. Thomson, who now lives in Seattle, considers Charity Ruiz a mentor. “Much of who I am is because of who she is,” Thomson wrote, noting that the the couple “are kind, generous people who spend their days faithfully working for their local church community and youth group.”

• Northern California Wildfire Latest: 31 Dead; Fires Merge; Almost 200,000 Acres Burned

In Santa Rosa, the Block family of four fled their home in the middle of the night with literally nothing beyond the clothes they were wearing. “They are a young family just starting out and it would be so great to help them with clothing, necessities etc. until they get on their feet,” a GoFundMe appeal says. “Their hearts are broken due to this total loss.”

Singer and songwriter Bobby Valentine lost everything, save one treasured Taylor guitar. His CDs are gone. His sound system was destroyed. His sheet music burned.

“Love when that’s all you have left,” Valentine said in a note to his friends, noting that he was “probably still in shock.”

Among those who heeded the call was Tim Logue, who went through his own disaster with Hurricane Harvey in late August. Valentine performed at his wedding, and at concerts in Logue's house in Houston. He occupies a special place in Logue’s heart.

“When something like this happens to someone, it is not a matter of how he will spend the money, it is a matter of what to replace first when everything is gone,” Logue wrote. “What do you put at the top of the list?”

For now, it’s the essentials — toiletries, food, clothing, bedding, a bed and a place to put them.

Alden Steimle says her dad is proud — maybe too proud. He wouldn’t dream of asking for help, but he needs it now. He looks at life through the viewfinder of a camera, and those photographs are lost now after the Tubbs Santa Rosa Fire reduced everything he owns to a pile of ashes except the clothes he was wearing and an old flip phone. He didn’t have time to look for his cat, Oreo, his only child wrote on GoFundMe. As if through some miracle, Oreo survived. He needs help with veterinary bills, but also to replace the basic necessities of life

Shelters established for evacuees in Napa and Sonoma counties, including from the area’s wineries, also need help to buy cots, sleeping bags, non-perishable food, kids’ pijamas, hygienic products and other items people left behind when they fled. “The wine community is one of the most giving, generous groups who give to charity constantly,” a GoFundMe appeal says. “Now it’s our turn to help.”

More Ways To Help

Several other organizations and charities have begun collecting to funds to help families and businesses rebuild their lives and cope with their losses.

More GoFundMe Campaigns

GoFundMe already has numerous pages up to support the victims of the wildfires. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been collected so far, but more will surely be needed.

Find pages to donate to here.

Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund

The Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund provides victims with "food; shelter; childcare; transportation; health and mental health; resource/referral and case management; legal/advocacy services; and, human and social services." The fund was first established in 2014 after the South Napa earthquake, and it is now being used to give help to those suffering because of the wildfires.

Donate here.

Watch: California Lawmakers Tour Napa Destruction

The Community Foundation Of Mendocino County

The foundation is raising money to help individual families affected by the Redwood Complex Fire. Grants will be delivered through North Coast Opportunities, Inc. Donate here.

Red Cross

The Red Cross provides relief effort for natural disasters across the world, and it is currently providing shelters for victims of the California wildfires. Your donations to the disaster relief fund will provide aid for this work and similar efforts. Donate to the disaster relief fund here.

Community Foundation Sonoma County

The charity is gathering funds to provide for the "mid- to long-term needs of our community as we recover from the devastation from the fires currently raging through Sonoma County." Donate here.

Wineries

Eight of Livermore’s wineries will donate a portion of their proceeds to fire relief efforts this weekend, according to the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association. Those interested in donating can check the list of participating wineries here.

Sonoma County Animal Services

Humans are not the only ones in need of help because of the devastating wildfires — many animals need aid, too. Sonoma County Animal Services is providing free veterinary care to any animals affected by the fire. To support its work, call 707-565-7100 to make a donation. Visit the group's Facebook page.

Lead photo by David McNew/Getty Images