Wildfire Donations Resource
Here is a PDF of the Substack Resource Sheet for people looking to donate.
I have three recommendations for those who want to help wildfire victims with magick:
A general prosperity for those who lost everything, and their communities
Spells to protect from the intrusion of disaster capitalists
Spells to keep insurance companies honorable
You can find these spells available on the Spirited Witch Patreon. Proceeds from the sales of the PDF will be going to an indigenous-run organization assisting displaced people.
For context:
I started writing this several days ago, in between a slew of medical appointments. (I’m fine; it was just the semiannual stuff you’re supposed to do, and it all fell in the same week.) Somehow, despite working on it over days, the work I did has just disappeared into the ether. A final F-U from this bear of a Mercury Retrograde, I suppose. The last I checked, the fires near Boundary Waters have been mostly contained. Smoke where I am in southwestern Michigan has lessened. I am not seeing posts of snowing ash from further north now, either.
The fires may be dying, but the impact continues.
I find it upsetting that some indigenous communities did not get an evacuation notice. The communities most affected in this situation are also the ones best equipped to protect themselves from wildfires. Land keeping is a specific traditional skill. For that reason alone, I encourage those looking to help to concentrate their efforts on First Nations organizations.
Here is a reprise of my usual advice when these disasters happen:
The further you live from the disaster site, the more the only appropriate help is financial donation. Needs are contextual, and volunteer power to sort donations runs short easily.
If you are in range of donation collection: clothing should be newer and cleaner. No stains, no old stuff, don’t give old underwear. Really. People are often short on clothes for plus size and really petite people. There’s also always a shortage of baby clothes.
If you have the capacity, consider the following:
Calling food shelves and asking what they’re short on. N95 masks are going to be a helpful provision for weeks and possibly months after the fire.Checking in on eldercare facilities to see what help is needed there.
Checking with the Human Society/SPCA about pet fostering if you have the capacity to do so. In Canada, the Northern Reach Network is faciliating a fostering program. Ontario SPCA is also collecting donatons.
Donate blood - it’s always needed.
Support small businesses that will have to rebuild as much as you can
3. Community food shelf needs differ from what we picked up during our school days canned food drives. Most now have to follow health and safety standards, a relatively new concept. It means that food must not be expired/be past its sell-by date. It also means that a little extra thought may be necessary.
Commonly overlooked donations that food shelves always need:
Feminine hygiene products of all types
Diapers
Cooking oil
Can openers
Gluten-free pastas and similar items
Sugar-free items and mixes
Cleaning items (these are necessities that aren’t covered by EBT)
For best impact, prioritize donation to local nonprofits and mutual aid societies first. Some of these are harder to vet than others. I am organizing these from larger agencies to smaller.
These are all organized giving. A search under “wildfire relief” on GoFundMe will also lead you to many families, businesses, and smaller organizations in need of help. I recommend you Google/fact check what you can before donating to an individual campaign.
Global
Canada
Canadian Red Cross Wildfire Fund
Global Giving - Canada Wildfire Relief Fund
Mikinakoos Children’s Fund Wildfire Relief
Indigenous Climate Action and Indigenous Climate Action Mutual Aid
Anishinabek Nation 7th Generation Charity
Whitesands First Nations - Canadian donations only
To donate to the Whitesand First Nation, send an Interac e-transfer to donations@whitesandfirstnation.com. Include your full name in the comment section to receive a tax receipt.
United States
211 (phone number, not available in all areas) - connects people to area resources for emergencies, housing, health assistance, bill assistance and more
Minnesota
United Way of Northeastern Minnesota
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
Wildland Firefighter Foundation
Michigan
Community Foundation of the Upper Peninsula
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly
Feeding American West Michigan
Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter
For Those in Need of Aid
For those who find themselves having to regather, my heart goes out to you. I live in the US, so anything I say has a US bias. Canada has its own way of doing things that I have very little experience with.
Give yourselves grace. It seems like the response to losing everything is to dump an absurd amount of paperwork on you while you’re trying to survive. None of this stuff will be finished in a day. The following is a rough to-do list for you to reference, as you put together your new life.
See what you can find out from any of your insurance companies. They will ask for documentation, and may not care that the documents burned down. Expect to have to appeal and repeat a few times.
Call Legal Aid and ask for their list of to-dos for your situation.
Contact the following and ask for relief/assistance/deferments as appropriate:
Mortgage holders/landlords
Power company (you’d think they’d know, but their still corporations and may not care that what they were powering burned down)
Water/Sewage/etc.
Credit card companies (some do have relief programs)
Your banks or credit unions - ask if they have any assistance for customers/members in your situation
Hospitals/healthcare agencies
The manufacturers of any prescriptions you have. Some do have relief programs in which they discount your drugs depending on your situation.
It is completely acceptable to seek mental health support after a disaster like this. Talk to the United Way/equivalent agency about getting connected.
My spouse asked why I am not listing FEMA resources for the US side folks. Ever since Katrina, FEMA has not been a trustworthy or reliable agency. Often they end up prioritizing corporations looking for cheap real estate. over people that need housing. Because of that I can’t in good conscience recommend them as a resource. If you want to try, go ahead, but whether or not they come through may depend on your tax bracket.
To my subscribers and casual readers, if you know of a mutual aid organization or a GoFundMe, please drop it in the comments. Your participation is part of what helps build these sheets into a community resource.
