Five wine industry marketing professionals are launching a fundraising campaign for direct relief for those in California’s wine country affected by the statewide lightning fire complex. Many wine regions throughout the state have come under siege due to the fires that unleashed in the pre-dawn hours of August 15th. This includes the wine regions located in Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties, which have experienced loss or are under threat.
The California wine industry makes 81% of U.S. wine and is the world’s 4th largest producer. Representing 635,000 acres, its 3,900 wineries and 5,900 grape growers contribute approximately $114 billion annually to the U.S. economy providing 786,000 jobs and $35 billion in wages, according to the Wine Institute.
During the 2017 wine country fires, the team, comprised of Tia Butts, Katie Calhoun, Kimberly Charles, Rebecca Hopkins launched a GoFundMe campaign, raising close to $100,000 for direct relief focused on farm workers who are a vital part of the wine industry's fabric. This campaign will have a similar objective, supporting various regions' most essential needs and is joined this year by southern California based Katherine Jarvis. A GoFundMe page has been set up and the team has identified a number of causes that will be in receipt of funding. In 2017, CEO and Co-Founder Jake Kloberdanz provided a generous matching gift to the fund.
Stay updated via social media on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at: #winecountryfirerelief and #WCFR and #2020winecountryfirerelief
Other helpful topics to follow include: #calfire, #california, #californiawildfire, #2020californiafires, #2020winecountryfires, #californiafires, #LNULightningComplex, #SCULightningComplex #CZULightning, #RiverFire
Organizations targeted for 2020 Wine Country Fire Relief Funding
https://www.redcross.org/donate/
World Central Kitchen
Firefighters Relief - California Fire Foundation
Providing emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they protect.
Napa County
Napa Valley Community Foundation
Sonoma County
Sonoma County Vintners Emergency Relief
https://sonomawine.com/foundation/
Sonoma Family Meal
https://www.sonomafamilymeal.org/
Monterey County
Monterey County Community Resilience Program
https://montereyco.recovers.org/
https://foodbankformontereycounty.org/
Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties
https://www.ksbw.com/article/how-to-help-the-central-coast-fire-victims/33674589
General Info
Regular Updates on the Fires and containment
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/
Jack Kulp and Carolyn McArdle talked to Kimberly Charles, one of the founding members, about their efforts to help. Listen below...