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Where can I get help?
Grants from the emergency response fund are supporting local organizations providing assistance to those impacted by wildfires. These organizations include:
- Salvation Army Spokane, 509-325-6810
- New Hope Resource Center (Elk Wildfire), 509- 467-2900
- Country Church of the Open Bible in Elk, 509- 292-8770
- Re*Imagine Medical Lake, 509-418-4481
- Medical Lake Community Outreach, 509-299-3819
Those needing assistance should contact one of these organizations, or contact Innovia at 509-624-2606.
Disaster case managers through the Salvation Army are available to assist with fire recovery. Case managers will help those impacted establish a fire recovery plan and access needed resources, including Wildfire Response Funds at Innovia. If you have been impacted you can contact one of the following case managers at Salvation Army:
Alaysha Cavitt-Breithaupt, Lead Case Manager
email: Alaysha.Cavitt-Breithaupt@usw.salvationarmy.org
office: 509-325-6810, cell: 509-263-1957
Bill Shields, Case Manager
email: William.Shields@usw.salvationarmy.org
cell: 509-389-6286
Don Simpson, Case Manager
email: Donald.Simpson@usw.salvationarmy.org
cell: 509-389-6470
Innovia Foundation is hosting a Wildfire Emergency Response Fund to support nonprofit organizations, businesses and community organizations working to meet the needs of those impacted by the August 2023 wildfires in Medical Lake and Elk communities.
Through generous support, more than $1.1 million has been raised. Grants are currently available for local nonprofit organizations assisting individuals and families. A Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group (SRLTRG) has been established and meets regularly to coordinate resources. Case Managers from the Salvation Army are working with fire survivors and help them navigate next steps toward recovery. Distributions from the Wildfire Fund are made at the recommendation of the Long-Term Recovery Group and through Disaster Case Management.
The Gray Fire in Medical Lake and the Oregon Road Fire near Elk in Spokane County have claimed thousands of acres and displaced hundreds of families and individuals.
“This emergency fund provides an opportunity for neighbors to help neighbors and provide resources that will be needed now and in the future as our communities recover from the impacts of these devastating fires,” said Innovia Foundation CEO Shelly O’Quinn.
As in previous wildfire response efforts, Innovia works closely with community partners to get funding to where it is most needed as quickly as possible.
As a region, we have a history of coming together to take care of each other. We invite generous individuals to join us in supporting recovery efforts by donating to the relief fund.”
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GIVE NOW
100% of your tax-deductible donation will support nonprofit organizations, businesses and community organizations working to meet the needs of those impacted by wildfires in our region.
Donations to the Wildfire Emergency Response Fund – Eastern Washington can be made online (click the button below) or by mailing a check payable to Innovia Foundation with Wildfire Emergency Response Fund in the memo:
Innovia Foundation
attn: Wildfire Emergency Response Fund
818 W. Riverside Ave, Ste. 650
Spokane, WA 99201
How the fund works
From all of us at Innovia, our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the Gray and Oregon Road wildfires. In the days following, we experienced an outpouring of generosity from individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations, locally and outside this region.
It is a testament to what we do best … coming Together for Good.
With more than $1.1 million raised, the Wildfire Emergency Response Fund continues to provide grants to local nonprofit organizations working to assist individuals and families on the road to recovery. All donated funds support wildfire relief. Innovia does not take any percentage of the funding for operational costs.
In this region we are fortunate to have incredible first responders and organizations like Red Cross and Spokane Emergency Management with expertise in immediate response. They have done an amazing job of getting people to safety and shelter.
However, when press coverage and public attention wanes, the critical recovery work begins. This is when private donations are most needed for long-term recovery efforts. The Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group (SRLTRG), comprised of community-based organizations, disaster recovery organizations, funders, and community representatives has been organized to plan and coordinate recovery efforts in Spokane County.
In addition, an Unmet Needs Roundtable will bring together disaster case management and donor agencies to address the disaster-related unmet needs of individuals and households. This process gets funding to individuals and families for needs that persist after exhausting all available resources. Based on Innovia’s experience in other wildfire impacted communities, this can include repairing and replacing lost or damaged structures and replacing things such as beds and basic furnishings.
FAQs
Grants are being distributed as needed to nonprofit organizations providing assistance and relief in the Elk and Medical Lake communities. Funding to date is helping with food, clothing, gas cards, propane, tree removal, utility hook-ups, RV winterization and more. The Spokane Regional Long-Term Recovery Group is working in partnership with Innovia and other funders to coordinate resources.
Some of the community-based organizations providing immediate assistance include:
- Salvation Army
- New Hope Resource Center in Elk
- Re*Imagine Medical Lake
- Medical Lake Community Outreach
A Long-Term Recovery Group is a cooperative body that is made up of representatives from faith-based, non-profit, government, business and other organizations working within a community to assist individuals and families recover from disaster. The Spokane Region Long-Term Recovery Group includes community members from Elk and Medical Lake representing the region as a whole. Learn more about the SRLTG in this recent Spokesman-Review article: Here for the long haul
No one program can meet all the disaster -related recovery needs of the hardest impacted individuals and families. This serves as the “clearinghouse” for all those who desire to help with recovery.
Collaborations among organizations increase capacity and efficiency for recovery as additional helping resources are brought to the table.
- Ensures resources are distributed fairly
- Avoids duplication of benefits and services.
- Communities with Long-Term Recovery Groups respond to and recover from disaster faster and more effectively.
- Local, community based LTRGs are the key to increasing capacity and providing a centralized location for resources to funnel in.
- Disaster Case Management & Unmet Needs
- Volunteer Coordination
- Reconstruction/Rebuild Coordination
- Management of Donors and Fundraising
- Advocacy for Ongoing Needs
- Emotional and Spiritual Care
- Communications and Public Relations
- Debris Removal and Site Preparation
Disaster Case Managers work with fire survivors to establish a recovery plan and present any disaster-caused unmet needs to the Long-Term Recovery Group. Members of the group have a variety of resources (human, in-kind, financial) and collaboratively provide all or parts of the resources needed to assist the survivors. This includes access to the dollars in the Wildfire Response Fund at Innovia. Disaster case managers through the Salvation Army are available to assist with fire recovery. Please call the Salvation Army at 509-325-6810 for additional information.
A coordinated approach to resource distribution is be necessary to make sure the funds can be stretched as far as possible, doing the most good for the most people. Funding is addressing immediate needs through the nonprofit organizations working with fire-impacted families and individuals in Medical Lake and Elk. Through these organizations, assistance is available now for needs including food, gas cards, propane, utility hookups, RV winterization, and emergency shelter.
Apply for a Grant
If you are a non-profit organization needing assistance to respond to immediate needs in a fire-affected community, please contact us at grants@innovia.org and let us know:
- Organization name
- Organization mission
- How would your organization utilize a grant to minimize the impact the Gray/Oregon Road fires on your client population?
- How much funding are you requesting to meet needs over the next 30 – 60 days?
- Is there any additional information you’d like us to know about the impact the Gray/Oregon Road fires on your organization and your community?
Eastern Washington Fire Recovery Resources
- Re*Imagine Medical Lake
- New Hope Resource Center
- The Salvation Army of Spokane
- Spokane County Emergency Management
- Spokane County Assessor Property Tax Relief
- Fire Recovery Resources (11/13/23)
- The Fig Tree Directory: Fire Response Supplement Guide 3rd edition
- Spokane County Resources for Wildfire Victims
- Our Place Community Outreach (1509 W. College Ave., Spokane, WA) will begin accepting donations for fire evacuees. You can contact them at (509) 326-7267 or office@ourplacespokane.org.
RECENT NEWS
Our community partners at KHQ, The Spokesman Review and Spokane County Emergency Management are providing regular updates about the fires currently impacting our region.
- KHQ 360 Coverage: Breaking down where your donation will go
- Innovia Foundation emergency fund raises $700,000 in less than a week for wildfire victims
- Innovia Foundation continues to help communities in need in our region after wildfires
- Gray Fire grows to 9,500 acres, area for Level 2 evacuation expanded
- Medical Lake wildfire has burned 185 structures and 9,500 acres. It is 0% contained
- Gray Fire grows to 9,500 acres, area for Level 2 evacuation expanded
- 30 structures lost in Oregon Road Fire burning near Elk, 150 more threatened
- ‘We lost everything we owned’: Gray fire destroys local firefighters’ homes
Contact Us
For more information, contact Molly Sanchez, Chief Community Investment Officer, at 509-808-5504 or msanchez@innovia.org.
Who We Are
Innovia Foundation inspires generosity that transforms lives and communities so that every person has the opportunity to thrive. As the community foundation for Eastern Washington and North Idaho, we partner with people who want to make our world better. We work together to address and solve our region’s problems, help those in need, identify and respond to our greatest opportunities and leave a lasting impact. Each year, Innovia Foundation invests $10 million into our communities through grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations and local students.
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