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The California Report

How to Help Camp Fire Victims

Yuri Nagano
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Brandy Powell pauses as she looks through the remains of her home that was destroyed by the Camp Fire on November 22, 2018 in Paradise, California.  (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Follow KQED's ongoing wildfire coverage.

Updated Saturday, December 1 at 2:08 p.m.

The Camp Fire in Butte County, which is now 100 percent contained, is the deadliest wildfire in modern California history. The blaze killed at least 88 people, with more than 200 still unaccounted for.  Cal Fire estimates the fire destroyed more than 15,800 structures, including thousands of single residences, mainly in and around Paradise, a town of 27,000 in the Sierra foothills east of Chico.

Monetary donations:

CaliforniaVolunteers, the state agency that oversees and encourages volunteer efforts across California, says financial contributions are the best way to help people in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. The organization "strongly encourages donors to carefully research charitable organizations prior to donating to ensure that their donated funds will have the desired result."

These are some of the organizations that are currently accepting monetary donations:

The state Attorney General's office has information and tips on avoiding disaster-related charity scams. 

Attorney General Xavier Becerra has also encouraged people to report any observed price gouging:

Provide shelter:

The Airbnb Evacuee Program is looking for people with available housing to provide shelter for evacuees who have been forced from their homes. Find more on their Open Homes program and sign up your home here.

Volunteering:

The Hope Center needs volunteers to help sort and organize donations. The organization now has a toll-free hotline for questions regarding volunteering and donations: 1-833-OROHOPE (1-833-676-4673).

The organization Caring Choices says it has received around 1,500 applications from people interested in volunteering to help fire victims. If you are interested, you can apply online by filling out an application form.

Material donations:

CaliforniaVolunteers encourages people to think twice about donating unsolicited material goods, especially used items. Agencies often have to spend time and resources dealing with donations that may not fit the needs of survivors.

On December 1, a Hope Center representative said the organization was accepting material donations for certain items at the Oroville Municipal Auditorium at 1200 Myers St. in Downtown Oroville. Items should be in new condition.

  • pillows
  • sleeping bags
  • rain gear
  • hats
  • knit caps
  • gloves
  • sleeping cots
  • tents
  • shoes (all sizes)

The Hope Center continues to accept monetary donations and gift cards. Please send gift card donations to:

Oroville Hope Center
1950 Kitrick Ave A
Oroville, CA 95966

Check for updates on the Hope Center's donation needs here.

This is in no way an exhaustive list. If you know of additional places accepting donations or help, please email us at assignmentdesk@kqed.org. Please be sure to call any location before dropping off donations or check their social media for updates.

This post has been updated to include new items of donations and hours to drop off donations at the Oroville Hope Center

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