MendoLake Complex Fire Relief Center Seeks Assistance With September Fundraiser

This is a press release from the MendoLake Complex Fire Relief Center:

[Photo provided by the MendoLake Complex Fire Relief Center]

Though the 2017 and 2018 fires in Lake and Mendocino Counties are a distant memory for the bulk of the communities at this point, recovery efforts are still under way for many of our community members.  Some have started the process of rebuilding their homes and their lives while others are wading through the slow painstaking process of building their new normal.

The MendoLake Complex Fire Relief Center has remained a constant source of supplies and support not only for survivors of the major fires in our area, but the single home fires.  Anytime there is a displacement, the all-volunteer crew of the MendoLake Complex Fire Relief Center has been there to provide much needed day to day living items, guidance, support, referrals, and grant applying services. At the center of this process is Center Director, Danilla Sands.  Sands and her crew of volunteers have worked tirelessly to acquire donations both locally and on a larger scale to serve the needs of the community.

Though the center is volunteer operated, and the supplies are donated, there are other day to day expenses involved with keeping this resource functioning and operational.  The biggest expense being rent for the warehouse. Currently located near the firehouse in Redwood Valley, as Sands says “We received a really great deal on the rent, but it is in no means free to have the center open.  Through fundraising efforts and donations, we have been blessed to be able to operate this long. We still have families coming in to receive help every week.  From evacuations to full losses, there are needs to be met and we are happy to help with things as big as furniture to as small as tooth brushes.  Imagine having to suddenly leave your home with only the clothes on your back.  What would you need just to get through the next few days?  We are blessed to be able to do this but if the rent isn’t raised, the center might have to shut down.”

Sands has a fundraising opportunity at the North Bay Artisan Showcase and Faire September 14^th and she needs the community’s help to pull it off.  The event will be running in coordination with the End of Summer Show & Shine Classic Car and Motorcycle Show in downtown Ukiah.  MendoLake Complex Fire Relief Center will have a booth set up in Alex Thomas Plaza.  Sands says “What we have in mind is to make fundraising fun.  The plan is to have certain local people take a 30-minute spot in a chair in the middle of a booth.  Then other members of the community can pay $5 for two “cream plates” to throw at the person seated in the hot seat.  Or for an extra $10 one of our volunteers will smash the target in the face with cream. We are looking for bosses, dignitaries, coaches, local business people.  Anyone that you can think of that you would like to smash a cream pie in their face.  The participants will receive a certificate and a shirt at the end of the event showing off how much money they raised during their time at the event. We will publish the schedule on our Facebook page so that community members will know when to show up for their selected person.”  Volunteers are needed for 30-minute shifts from 10am to 4pm.  Volunteers can send an email to [email protected] or call (707)489-3970 or send a message to Danilla Sands on facebook to sign up.

Keeping the MendoLake Complex Fire Relief Center open and functioning is paramount to the community’s recovery efforts.  Donating 30 minutes of your time on a Saturday can make a world of difference to our local survivors. Take a seat to help raise the rent for this worthy cause and tell your friends to come throw in their support September 14^th at the North Bay Artisan Showcase and Faire!