How To Help Victims Of The Camp Wildfire

Updated Nov. 20, 3:17 p.m.

The Camp Fire in Butte County is the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced.

Below is a selection of where you can donate to the victims. Remember that it’s important to do research before deciding what organizations to give to (Charity Navigator is a good resource).

Ways to donate items or money

Ways to donate housing

Ways to help animals

Chuck Smith, spokesman for Sutter County near where the fire is still burning, says monetary donations and gift cards are often more helpful than physical goods.

"What happens with used clothing and things like that is that they become a burden for folks at the shelter and emergency workers in terms of trying to coordinate the donations and they wind up in a warehouse somewhere," he said.

Smith said local shelters do sometimes have needs for things like diapers or blankets, but it's best to check in daily.

If you have a suggested addition to this list, please email us details at [email protected].

Organizations accepting donations for Camp Wildfire relief:

The Chico-based nonprofit North Valley Community Foundation is accepting online donations to an Evacuation Relief Fund that will support organizations that are sheltering Camp Fire evacuees.

The Butte County Office of Education has set up a Schools Relief Fund, administered online by the North Valley Community Foundation, to directly benefit Butte County schools. Donors can either specify a district or use for their money (such as textbooks or clothes) or make an open donation.

The United Way of Northern California has established a NorCal Fire Relief Fund to benefit Camp Fire relief efforts, including “direct cash assistance for survivors, assistance to partner agencies in their provision of direct services to survivors, and United Way operations that directly assist survivors.” Donate online or by texting BUTTEFIRE to 91999. Businesses and organizations interested in helping contribute to the fund can call Jacob Peterson at 530-241-7521 or 916-218-5424. You can also email him at [email protected].

The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations to support their immediate response efforts. You can give online or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). Donations by mail may be designated "Camp Fire" and sent to: 

The Salvation Army
PO Box 348000
Sacramento, CA 95834

The Chico-based Enloe Medical Center Foundation has set up a relief fund to help patients, families and caregivers who have lost their homes or been displaced due to the fire. You can donate online or text "CampFireRelief" to 91999.

Tri Counties Bank has set up a fund to help the victims of the Camp Fire. The bank made an initial deposit of $25,000 in the account, and the bank’s GoFundMe page for the fire fund has raised more than $86,000 since it opened on Nov. 9. You can donate to the fund on GoFundMe, or at any Tri Counties Bank location.

GoFundMe created a page with verified campaigns raising money for victims of the Camp Fire and the Woolsey and Hill fires in Southern California. The page includes large campaigns like the Tri Counties Bank campaign, as well as campaigns for individual families who have lost their homes.

The American Red Cross is accepting online donations to help people affected by the California wildfires (select the appropriate option from the dropdown menu). You can also donate by calling 1-800-733-2767 or texting "CAWILDFIRES" to 90999.

The Veterans Resource Center is accepting monetary donations online (designate “Camp Fire” in the comments field) and items that can be dropped off at the center in Chico (10 Amber Grove Drive, Ste 114, Chico). On Monday, they published a list of needed items — see it here.

The California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund supports intermediate and long-term recovery efforts for major California wildfires, as well as preparedness efforts. You can donate online or mail checks (noting “Wildfire Relief Fund”) to:

California Community Foundation
221 S. Figueroa St., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Yuba/Sutter Habitat for Humanity is accepting monetary donations (in person or online), gift cards, and donations of unused clothing, blankets, hygiene products, or non-perishable food items. Donations can be dropped off at their ReStore (202 D Street, Marysville, CA 95901) during business hours. More information can be found here.

The New Earth Market in Yuba City has also been collecting gift cards to distribute to evacuees. Information on their efforts can be found on the market's Facebook page.

The Presbytery of Sacramento has established a Camp Fire Relief Fund to assist the Chico-based Bidwell Presbyterian Church in responding to families affected by the Camp Fire. Individuals and churches interested in donating can send checks to:

Presbytery of Sacramento
CAMP FIRE RELIEF FUND
9983 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95827

Bidwell Presbyterian is also collaborating with the Salvation Army to distribute donated items and holding “pop-up shops” for evacuees. More information on their efforts can be found on their website and Facebook page.

CAIR-SV has joined with Islamic Centers and mosques to raise money for cash cards for victims, to be distributed by the Islamic Center of Chico. You can donate online to their LaunchGood fundraiser, which has raised more than $20,000 so far. 

The Colusa County Farm Bureau has begun a children’s book drive to benefit elementary schools and families in the Paradise area. For information on how to donate new or gently used children’s books, contact the Colusa County Farm Bureau at 530-458-5130 or the Butte County Farm Bureau at 530-533-1473.

How to help animals:

Sacramento-based nonprofit RedRover has a list of resources for helping animals affected by the California wildfires here.

The Butte Humane Society has opened a pet food and supply pantry at 2580 Fair Street in Chico. It's open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can donate and find more information on their Facebook page. Questions can be directed to Katrina at [email protected].

The Butte County Farm Bureau and Butte Ag Foundation have created a Camp Fire Animal Agriculture Assistance Fund. The fund will accept monetary donations dedicated to feeding, housing and maintaining livestock displaced by the fire that are being cared for at the Butte County Fairgrounds. For more information, see www.butteagfoundation.org.

UC Davis vets are helping rescue animals, treating them for burns and connecting them with their owners. People can make donations to the Veterinary Catastrophic Need Fund to help treat the animals or make a gift to the Veterinary Emergency Response Team to help their vets in the field. To see unclaimed pets being treated by UC Davis, visit their Facebook photo album.

Organizations accepting housing donations:

North Valley Property Owners Association in collaboration with other local nonprofit groups has created a resource to assist evacuees in locating long-term housing. Those who can offer long-term housing can be added to the database here.

Airbnb has activated its Open Homes feature for the Camp Fire, where people can make their homes available for free to displaced people and relief workers. Add your home or find shelter here.

If you have a suggested addition to this list, please email us details at [email protected].

CapRadio's Julia Mitric contributed to this report.