West Coast Wildfire Relief: Helping Children

Conditions in California have sparked concern that the state could continue to experience record-setting amounts of wildfires causing damage and destruction for those living there.

Eighteen million trees died across California in 2018, according to an article on Vox.com. While tree death is common and this number is actually a bit lower than in 2017 and 2016, it is still much higher than what is considered typical.

 “Normal background levels of tree mortality for California, what we would typically see through both insects and diseases, is well less than a million trees per year,” said Sheri Smith, a regional entomologist at the US Forest Service, in the article. 

And while tree death alone is not a predictor of wildfire activity, drought conditions over the last decade combined with human development and other factors put the state at risk.

 At Jake’s Diapers, we’ve responded to the devastation caused by California wildfires to help families displaced by the disasters. Ongoing donations allow us to provide diaper need for families with young children that are no longer able to return home, lose their jobs or experience other hardships because of the fires.

 About Our Disaster Relief Efforts: Jake’s Diapers recognizes that every person is one disaster away from living in a situation that restricts access to basic necessities. We respond when disaster strikes, understanding the need to be clean and healthy after displacement or destruction. Supporting people impacted in this way restores hope and dignity while creating the opportunity to enjoy a better quality of life as they rebuild and recover. 

Thanks to your continued support, we stand ready to help when the next disaster strikes. 

~ Stephanie

The Camp Fire has devasted the town of Paradise, California and beyond. Thanks to your continued support, we're able to help families like Anastasia's. 

Anastasia and her family of five lived in Paradise for the past six years. She and her husband have three children, two of whom have special needs. She's also expecting another child, after struggling with infertility for years. 

With the Camp Fire raging, they were forced to evacuate in minutes, joining the gridlock of people trying to escape. And then, she went into labor (at ~ 34 weeks) and her blood pressure was skyrocketing. 9-1-1 tried to send a helicopter to life flighther out, but with the blackout conditions caused by smoke and gridlock they were unable to. Finally, they were able to get a police escort out, and Anastasia was admitted at a local hospital. Thankfully, the medical staff was able to stop her labor, and she's still in the hospital today. Here is a video of the police calls, but I warn you, it's scary.

Anastasia and her family lost their home, including their full cloth diaper stash for the new baby. Anastasia's mom also lived in Paradise, and had some baby items there. She also lost her home.  Thanks to you, we're able to provide Anastasia a complete supply of cloth diapers to last from birth to potty training. Hopefully, thanks to quick responders and medical interventions, Anastasia's baby won't arrive for a few more weeks. 

Thanks for helping Anastasia, and other wildfire survivors. 

~ Stephanie