How To Help Those Impacted By Local Fires

Sonora, CA — Many in the Mother Lode community are curious about how they can help those who have been impacted by the TCU September Lightning Complex Fire.

Darrell Slocum, CEO of the Sonora Area Foundation, weighs in, “We hold a charitable fund, created during the Rim Fire, to provide support during emergencies and recovery. It’s called the Local Emergency Fund, and gifts to the fund are used to support the organizations providing direct services to those displaced and/or adversely impacted by the fires.”

Examples include (but not limited to) Interfaith, Nancy’s Hope, Salvation Army, Sierra Senior Providers, etc. To make a donation with a credit card, go to the Sonora Area Foundation website and click the “Donate” button, and once on the donation page, type “Local Emergency Fund.”

• You can mail or drop off a donation at the Sonora Area Foundation office located at 362 South Stewart Street, Sonora, CA 95370.
• Call the Sonora Area Foundation office with questions at 209-533-2596 or email Darrell Slocum at darrell@sonora-area.org.

We also reached out to Interfaith Social Services. They have available items for those evacuated that are listed below:

• Clothing
• Showers
• Food
• Household items
• Blankets
• Toiletries
• Pet supplies: Dogs/Cats

*They’ll need a DRIVER ID to verify they are from Tuolumne County.

We reported earlier that Black Oak Casino is offering free rooms to those under a mandatory evacuation order. Chicken Ranch Casino Resort reports that since they are no longer in the path of the fire, they are doing the same. You’ll also need to show a CA ID to show you are in the evacuation zone.