LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A fund established to help victims of Lake County's wildland fires is continuing to grow, and so far has distributed tens of thousands of dollars to help those in need.
As of Wednesday, the total amount raised by the Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund – which started as a collaboration between Mendo Lake Credit Union (MLCU) and North Coast Opportunities (NCO) – totaled just over $300,000.
Donations continue to arrive daily, the organizations reported.
Of that total amount raised so far, a community-based managing committee has reviewed hundreds of applications, verified resident status and the losses of those who applied, and has already distributed over $96,000 in funds to individuals in the affected areas.
The purpose of the Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund is to help those impacted by the fires take care of the immediate and unexpected expenses incurred as a result of evacuation and the loss of property.
The fund is especially helpful for the many under and uninsured residents hit hard by this tragic wildfire experience that is now considered to be the third most devastating fire in California history.
The Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund is meant to be a nimble operation and provide relief in real time to those who need it most.
“Hotel stays, gas money, toiletries, loss of work, all those sorts of things that many people have had to pay for since the evacuation, those are the expenses for which the fund is intended,” said Carolyn Welch, NCO’s CFO. “Our intention is to get the funds out as quickly as possible to help with immediate needs.”
Each application is different, therefore the amount given varies. However, any Lake County resident from the impacted areas can apply.
“MLCU is gratified by the amazing response from our credit union members as well as from the many folks from both in and out of our area that have dug deep and showed both their love and caring for the many victims of the tragic fires of the past month or more,” said Richard Cooper, MLCU president and chief executive officer. “We are honored to be able to assist in the effort and thankful for the ongoing partnership with North Coast Opportunities that allowed us to get this process moving so quickly. We are committed to continuing to work toward a full recovery for all the affected areas of Lake County.”
Many donors have contributed substantial amounts of money, and even small donations contribute to the whole.
“Our hearts go out to our own team members who lost their homes as well as the countless others who experienced loss,” said Cooper. “We hope that the funds collected here can somehow jump start the road to recovery – in so many ways.”
When the Rocky and Jerusalem Fires hit Lake County, NCO and MLCU created the Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund to help those impacted.
In a few short weeks they collaborated to raise funds, advertise the effort, write and translate applications to the fund, create a community-based managing committee to review applications, and verify the losses of those who applied.
The applications for relief funds continue to come in daily to the NCO office and more funds are needed.
If you want to donate to this important community restoration and relief fund you can go in person to any MLCU branch, or send a check to MLCU made out to NCO with “Lake County fire relief” in the notes field.
There also is a PayPal account set up to accept online donations, which can be found on the front pages of both the NCO and MLCU Web sites. The website links take donors to a secure PayPal page.
NCO and MLCU do not take any administration fees so that all donations go directly to those in need.
If you would like to apply for fire relief funds, simply download an application at www.ncoinc.org and follow the instructions. Applications are available in English and Spanish.
For more information on how to donate and how to apply for funds, contact NCO Chief Financial Officer Carolyn Welch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .