As the historically unprecedented Riverside conflagration and other, smaller blazes ravaged the countryside around Molalla, there is one question Foothills Community Church got more than any other.
“We have been flooded here at Foothills with people wanting to know, ‘What can we do? How can we help?'” Pastor Dale Satrum said. “‘How can we help our communities and the people who have lost so much because of the devastation of this fire?'”
Fire Assistance from Foothills Community Church on Vimeo.
So, the church came up with a way, establishing a Fire Relief Assistance Fund, which will be used to help those in the community most impacted by the fires. One hundred percent of the funds received will go toward victims, the church said.
“We want to meet you,” Satrum said. “We want to assess needs. We want to be able to financially help.”
Satrum said Molalla will come together amid this crisis because “that’s what this community does.”
“We came together as a community … made a difference and stopped the fires,” Satrum said. “And now, as we work through the aftermath, let’s continue coming together and taking care of one another. I know we will.”
The sentiment was echoed in a Facebook by the city of Molalla about the new fund, which estimated total losses from the fire would be “tremendous.”
“It is the nature of this community and people everywhere to help and here is how we can do it,” the city said.
Donations may be made to the fund in three ways: Online, by mail at P.O. Box 797, Molalla, OR 97038 (be sure to note: Fire Relief Assistance), or by dropping a check through the mail slot at 215 East Main St.
Applicants will be vetted to avoid duplicate requests from multiple agencies, the city said.
For more information, to get help or to contribute, visit foothillsonline.com/molalla-fire-relief-assistance-program.
