In what may very well go down as the worst wildfire to ever hit Colorado, with 38,000 people and 13,000 homes evacuated as of yesterday afternoon, according to the Denver Post, many Coloradans are looking for ways to help their neighbors. Thankfully, many private charities are stepping up to help: the Pikes Peak YMCA locations are housing evacuees, the Red Cross is helping to reconnect family members, and the Humane Society is helping with lost pets, and many more private organizations are doing similar great work.
A number of businesses have come through for the victims as well. Rocky Mountain Equine is helping move horses and large animals, Bear Creek Veterinary Center is boarding bets for free for the duration of the evacuation, Poor Richard’s is giving away pizza to evacuees and firefighters, and Century Link is offering free call forwarding. As is the case with private charities, there are far too many businesses to list every single one that is making a contribution.
If you are looking to lend a hand, the Colorado Springs Gazette has listed some organizations that could use your assistance in their mission to support victims of the fires:
- The Salvation Army is collecting bottled water, sports drinks, and money from 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM at 908 Yuma St., or donate here.
- The Pikes Peak Community Foundation is collecting money for charities supporting the victims; you may donate here.
- The Humane Society has a disaster support website where you can select the Black Forest Fire from the drop down menu here.
There are a number of other ways to give on this Gazette website.
The spirit of the West is on full display right now as neighbors are helping neighbors get through this challenging time. It is going to be a long road to full recovery for many families. If there is a silver lining in all this, it may well be the fact that when people were victimized by a tragic situation, our community did the right thing and raced to their sides. We wouldn’t expect anything else.