United Way of Lane County’s
Wildfire Response Efforts
On September 7, 2020, the Holiday Farm Fire ignited in Oregon’s McKenzie Valley, burning over 170,000 acres and devastating the communities of Blue River, Nimrod and Vida and the surrounding watershed. As the fire spread, thousands were evacuated and hundreds of people lost their homes, businesses, and livelihoods.
United Way of Lane County responded with what it does best: raising and leveraging resources to support programs and people on the frontlines of a crisis. Within a few days, United Way of Lane County launched a Wildfire Response Fund, mobilized hundreds of volunteers, raised thousands of dollars and began making emergency grants to programs and initiatives serving those most impacted by the wildfires.
Thanks to immense support from community members throughout Lane County and across the country, United Way of Lane County has invested over $830,000 to-date for programs addressing immediate needs and long-term recovery efforts for people impacted by fires in the McKenzie Valley.
Investments At-a-Glance
$832,810
invested to-date
46
programs and initiatives funded
“United Way has provided so much to the McKenzie’s initial disaster response and now our recovery. United Way invested funds into devastated communities immediately, providing not only access to funds, but an infusion of hope for survivors. Those early funds were so critical to help people build hope and begin to understand they could recover.”
SHEDS OF HOPE
With grant funding, Living Waters Family Fellowship was able to organize Sheds of Hope - providing wildfire survivors with needed storage for their properties while teaching students valuable technical skills to build sheds. McKenzie School District, Lane ESD, and Lane Community College partnered with PIVOT Architecture and other companies to train students in construction, allowing them to build connections with local businesses and play an integral role in community-wide recovery efforts.
“We’re getting students out of the classroom, getting them into problem solving and in an applied learning environments… ‘your job is to build a shed, there’s a pile of stuff. Here’s how long you have, here’s the plan.’ And then we bring them industry mentors, and the kids really get to learn and connect.”
– John Stapleton, PIVOT Architecture
Full List of Programs Funded: September 2020 to August 2021
Catholic Community Services: $200,000
McKenzie Community Development Corporation: $153,500
Unmet Needs Roundtable: $50,000
Living Water Family Fellowship: $45,000
Camp Noah/Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota: $25,000
McKenzie Fire & Rescue: $25,000
Northwest Youth Corps: $25,000
O'Brien Memorial Library: $25,000
St. Vincent de Paul Society: $25,000
McKenzie Discovery Center: $21,500
Upper McKenzie Community Center: $21,200
McKenzie Education Foundation: $20,000
McKenzie Food Pantry: $20,000
Orchid Health Clinic: $20,000
Love First: $10,000
McKenzie Community Track & Field: $10,000
McKenzie River Trust: $7,500
8:46 Justice Today: $5,000
The Arc of Lane County: $5,000
Carry it Forward: $5,000
Center for Community Counseling: $5,000
CORE: $5,000
Eugene Family YMCA: $5,000
Every Child Lane County: $5,000
Green Cross Academy of Traumatology: $5,000
Greenhill Humane Society: $5,000
Lane Senior Support Coalition: $5,000
McKenzie Bridge Christian Church: $5,000
McKenzie Masters Foundation: $5,000
Occupy Medical: $5,000
One Hope: $5,000
Options Counseling Center: $5,000
Oregon Cancer Foundation: $5,000
Rural Organizing Project: $5,000
South Lane Mental Health Services Inc: $5,000
Walterville Grange: $5,000
White Bird Medical Clinic: $5,000
Direction Service Inc: $3,500
McKenzie Valley Wellness: $3,360
Multiple Organizations : $3,000
Oregon Community Programs: $3,000
Diabetes Community Care Team: $2,500
Friends of Fish Lake: $2,500
Full Access: $2,500
Mapleton Food Share: $2,500
Marcola School District 79J: $2,500
Screamin' Jay's Hot Lunch/ The Oregon Hospitality Foundation: $2,500
The Child Center: $1,250
Disaster Recovery: The Long Road Ahead
Given the scope of the Holiday Farm Fire, the process of recovering survivors to safe and stable homes is estimated to take 5-10 years. United Way is committed to partnering with the community as they re-envision their future in this long-term recovery.
Rebuilding efforts are being led by the McKenzie Valley Long-Term Recovery Group, a collaborative partnership of over 20 organizations, including United Way, contributing resources to meet the long-term needs of Holiday Farm Fire survivors. As recently as August 2021, United Way invested another $88,000 to organizations requesting assistance to provide food security, community resources, and housing support to families still rebuilding from the fires. The road to recovery is difficult, but the work is possible thanks to the support of thousands donors and volunteers over the past year.
“Throughout this year, United Way has been a stabilizing influence by making funds available as they are needed and by always encouraging us to achieve more than we thought possible a year ago.”
You can read more about our wildfire response efforts here, and find out more about our impact in our 2020 and 2021 annual reports.
Thank you.
While the dollars invested are measurable, the impact your support has for the individuals, families, and communities affected by the fires is invaluable. Thank you to the companies and the many hundreds of other businesses and individuals who helped United Way invest over $830,000 for the McKenzie Valley communities.
Contributions to United Way’s ongoing work ensuring kids and families thrive is still crucial. If you’d like to support our larger efforts to create a community where every child succeeds in school, you can donate online at www.unitedwaylane.org/donate, mail a check to United Way of Lane County at 3171 Gateway Loop, Springfield, OR 97477, or call 541-741-6000. Thank you.
You can download the 2020-21 PDF report here.