California’s Camp Fire is already the most deadly in state history, claiming at least 86 lives with over 500 still unaccounted for as of Wednesday, per ABC News. The wildfire has engulfed nearly 400 square miles in Northern California’s Butte County, destroying more than 12,000 homes by NBC News’ count. And the coffee community—as it often does in times of crisis—is stepping up. Six Degrees Service & Distribution have teamed up with the North Valley Community Foundation to create a Camp Fire relief fund to help those who have lost their homes and businesses.
Based in Chico, in the backyard of the wildfire, Six Degrees knows firsthand how devastating these past few weeks have been. Many of these affected are coffee professionals. Six Degrees’ Elizabeth Goldblatt tells Sprudge that Paradise’s Juice & Java and NorCal Nitro lost their businesses and the owner of Chico Chai lost her home to the fire. Hitting so close to home, it led the coffee company to start the relief fund, to help not just coffee professionals but all affected individuals. In an email to Sprudge, Goldblatt had this to say:
Six Degrees Coffee Service & Distribution was founded on the premise that we are all connected. Our community is in crisis and we are poised to help those that have lost their homes and businesses, evacuees, and first responders recover from the devastation of the Camp Fire. We honor your generosity and will utilize the funds to serve those in need in our Northern California community.
Donations can be made through the North Valley Community Foundation’s website as one-time offerings or setup as a recurring gift. The NVCF will then decide the “appropriate fund beneficiaries,” per the website. An interview with the head of NVCF about the current condition in the affected areas can be found here.
Listen, I know today is Black Friday and you’re all probably lined up outside a Best Buy to get the new Tecmo Super Bowl or Furbies or whatever, so you’ve got money you’re looking to throw around today. Why not take some of that cash and do some good with it by donating it to those in need? That’s more in line with this season’s current spirit of giving than anything you could buy today.
Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
Top image via Six Degrees Coffee Service & Distribution
