The resilience of our community is being tested once again. And, once again, our community, our neighbors, our friends, our first responders and essential workers, are rising to the challenge. As wildfires ravage our beautiful California landscapes, we are reminded of how important a united community is to be able to face this kind of adversity. The damage is particularly acute in the five local area counties that the Packard Foundation’s Local Grantmaking Program serves.

The resilient, creative, and relentless organizations that we support are on the front lines providing rescue, food, shelter and hope to Bay Area residents impacted by the fires from the coast of San Mateo County to the Salinas Valley in Monterey County and to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Our region has seen our share of local natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and wildfires. What has remained constant is that our community handles these crises with creativity, innovation, and compassion. We all have a part to play to provide relief and hope to those most impacted. This collective purpose is what drives our support of our local area communities and the organizations that serve them, and it is why we are committing $200,000 to relief funds in our area during this difficult time. This support is funding the Fire Response Fund at the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, the Monterey County Fire Relief Fund at the Community Foundation for Monterey County, the Emergency Fire Relief Fund for South Coast Families at Puente in San Mateo County, and the American Red Cross.

Moments like this reinforce how critical it is to give where you live. Our neighbors are our first responders, essential workers, teachers, and caregivers. Our local nonprofit ecosystem provides a critical safety net of resources, food, shelter, and support for all of us, and it needs our collective support.