GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - In anticipation of the arrival of our new neighbors at the FEMA Camp Fire village, an unofficial committee has formed to help ease their transition into the Gridley community. 

Working closely with CalOES and FEMA volunteer agency liaisons (VALS) to aid in the long term recovery effort of Paradise Camp Fire survivors, the Camp Fire Relief Group has been working diligently over the past few months organizing resources, materials, donations and volunteer time. The group has coordinated with service groups throughout the community, such as St. Vincent De Pauls food closet, Quota, Lions and Rotary Clubs, Orchard Hospital, multiple churches and more to welcome families into our community and educated them on services available here.

Recently the group made up welcome bags including information on medical services & centers, food bank locations, transportation services, social welfare and counseling services, coupons to local businesses, laundromat services, the Gridley Herald Business Card Directory and Map & Guide, and more. Basic toiletries and essentials were also added to package as many of the incoming families don’t have much in the way of belongings and the FEMA units they are moving into are furnished with the bare minimum–beds, basic linens, a simple kitchen table and chairs. It is up to the families to furnish their new homes however possible.

Volunteers from the Camp Fire Relief Group, Chamber of Commerce, Orchard Hospital and more have taken the welcome bags out to the village, but intercepting the families as they move into the park has created a challenge. There currently is no centralized distribution point, community center or facility at the park that can be used to easily bridge our communities together.

The group has handed the welcome kits out to those they could reach, but the rest of them are being distributed from the Camp Fire Distribution Center in downtown Gridley. The Camp Fire Distribution Center, located at 893 Hazel St., has been an incredible resource for incoming families, providing access to food, clothing, gift cards and helping families procure larger furniture items. As of now, it is only open for a brief window Tuesdays from 10-1. The Camp Fire Relief group is working to extend those hours and add additional days to the schedule, looking for groups willing to staff and man the center.

At the last meeting of the Camp Fire Relief Group, FEMA VALS informed those in attendance that a total of 90 families had been licensed into the village, with approximately 40 school-aged children among them. The Camp Fire Relief Group plans to continue their mission to ease the transition of these families through compassionate and attentive service, further coordination between community resources and help from FEMA and other resource organizations.