UPDATE: Anyone wanting to donate to the wild fire relief efforts can use the following link:
www.paypal.me/boyscouttroop1855All money donated there will be used DIRECTLY to support wild fire victims, and primarily to provide food and necessities that actual people need and things they have lost. We have several people who are going there and directly meeting with people face to face.
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We don't usually use the forums to solicit for various causes. But after talking with certain folks behind the scenes, we thought it would be cool to reach out to the forum and see if any of you guys want to help out. I am sure most of you guys have heard about the fires in Paradise, California, which have been described as the worst/deadliest in our state's history. My son is leading a relief effort on behalf of our local Boy Scout Troop to raise funds and collect other items. We have several people that are traveling regularly up to that area to distribute the funds and other items (clothing, food, water, toiletries, toys for kids, etc.).
If anyone is interested in donating, please send me a PM. Funds will be made out to the Boy Scout Troop, so you can keep records for your taxes and get a tax deduction if you are so inclined. If I get a lot of inquiries, I may set up a Paypal account to make it easier, if that is what people want. Just let me know.
To give you guys a flavor for how bad it is, the entire town and surrounding area have been destroyed. That includes homes, businesses, you name it. Gone. All of it. People are living in tents in Wal-Mart parking lots, and wherever else they can find. I am about 90 miles away, and the smoke is so bad here that all of the school districts are shut down, and visibility is only a few city blocks. Here is a pic I took from my office window just now (that is all smoke, not cloud cover or fog--and it has been like this for days now):
Anyhow, again, we don't normally use the forums for this kind of thing. But this is an extraordinary situation, so... Thanks in advance for any who care to help.