Montecito Mud Angels
Donation protected
Early on Tuesday morning, after a pouring rain, on a fire scorched hillside, several massive mudslides literally consumed and obliterated homes and lives. Over 100 homes are gone. 300 more badly damaged, many beyond recovery. At least 20 are known to be dead, most of which our family knows one way or another, some quite closely. Soccer teammates, kids coaches, our doctors, kids from our schools, kids from other teams, parents we worked with, clients, former clients, and more. Sadly, 20 is likely to increase. Plus, more are still missing and thousands are displaced. Water is out in most of the village. Many can't leave their homes. Some are dealing with loss. Some are without basic necessities like toothpaste, shoes and underwear (apparently this is the #1 requested item).
Our school has lost a 6th grade girl Sawyer and a kindergartner boy nicknamed “Pasta.” My kids are aware and traumatized, of this and the entire situation. Schools have been cancelled all week, again. Many families like ours live within feet of the tragegy and were literally just missed. We are surrounded by sadness, trauma, fear and anger. We are lucky; we survived. Beyond other activities, our goal here is to to raise money to simply buy clothing, toiletries, school supplies, and necessary items for the survival of these victims.
The night after this happened, we learned one of the families from last years soccer team had narrowly escaped in the middle of the rushing mud river with nothing but their pajamas on. They were transported to a hotel and lived in robes and mud covered clothing most of the day. When we learned of their situation, a neighbor came by and helped me pack a huge suitcase of my clothing, shoes and toiletries for the dad. HE HAD NOTHING.
We later learned our landscaper and his family with small children and his wife barely escaped to the roof were they sat for hours and were rescued with only the clothes on their backs, barefooted, with all of their belongings in the tiny guest house they shared, GONE.
And worst, are the victims that lost everything and moreso, the ones that lost part of their family members and are being forced to live on in grief and suffer the reality of losing a brother, sister, dad, mom, friend or all the above.
With your donation we will purchase items and deliver them to anyone in need for basic necessities. We are also making direct bank transfers and delivering VISA gift cards.
We just got home after 11 mandatory days of evacuation from the Thomas Fire and now the worst has come true. Rains fell at record pace and turned the baren hillsides into a sea of death and destruction. It's hard to wrap our arms around this tragedy. Most of us, including me, are still in shock. But at least we are alive and that is why we are trying to help our neighbors.
Will you help? Please help. Please please please, help. The devastation is incomprehensible.
1/12 Update: we have delivered shoes, bananas, food cards and thousands in cash in our first day. We haven’t even received the funds from this event yet but it’s ok, we covered it. It had to happen fast. Tomorrow and the next day and the next after that we will continue.
1/13 Update: our fund continues to grow and we continue to donate every nickel as it arrives. Today we gave a family that had $2 remaining and hadn't yet fed their kids today. We also had a visit from a elf or fairy if you prefer, who took shoes to our mutual friend. It's insane what you see when you drive down the road towards lower village.
1/14 Update: Woke up early and met a friend at Vons in Lower Village to arrange for 6 pallets of water to be delivered to Cold Spring School in time for activities on Monday and re-entry on Tuesday. It took a "village" of firefighters, Vons staff, neighbors and friends, but we got all 6 pallets on the school property this morning before noon. Thank you to Angel Banos Jr. CEO of Socal Golds Gym (largest franchise owner in the world) who paid for our water. Huge direct donation to our community. Thank you to each and every firefighter and each Vons employees. Monique, Denise, Larry, and James to name a few!
Our school has lost a 6th grade girl Sawyer and a kindergartner boy nicknamed “Pasta.” My kids are aware and traumatized, of this and the entire situation. Schools have been cancelled all week, again. Many families like ours live within feet of the tragegy and were literally just missed. We are surrounded by sadness, trauma, fear and anger. We are lucky; we survived. Beyond other activities, our goal here is to to raise money to simply buy clothing, toiletries, school supplies, and necessary items for the survival of these victims.
The night after this happened, we learned one of the families from last years soccer team had narrowly escaped in the middle of the rushing mud river with nothing but their pajamas on. They were transported to a hotel and lived in robes and mud covered clothing most of the day. When we learned of their situation, a neighbor came by and helped me pack a huge suitcase of my clothing, shoes and toiletries for the dad. HE HAD NOTHING.
We later learned our landscaper and his family with small children and his wife barely escaped to the roof were they sat for hours and were rescued with only the clothes on their backs, barefooted, with all of their belongings in the tiny guest house they shared, GONE.
And worst, are the victims that lost everything and moreso, the ones that lost part of their family members and are being forced to live on in grief and suffer the reality of losing a brother, sister, dad, mom, friend or all the above.
With your donation we will purchase items and deliver them to anyone in need for basic necessities. We are also making direct bank transfers and delivering VISA gift cards.
We just got home after 11 mandatory days of evacuation from the Thomas Fire and now the worst has come true. Rains fell at record pace and turned the baren hillsides into a sea of death and destruction. It's hard to wrap our arms around this tragedy. Most of us, including me, are still in shock. But at least we are alive and that is why we are trying to help our neighbors.
Will you help? Please help. Please please please, help. The devastation is incomprehensible.
1/12 Update: we have delivered shoes, bananas, food cards and thousands in cash in our first day. We haven’t even received the funds from this event yet but it’s ok, we covered it. It had to happen fast. Tomorrow and the next day and the next after that we will continue.
1/13 Update: our fund continues to grow and we continue to donate every nickel as it arrives. Today we gave a family that had $2 remaining and hadn't yet fed their kids today. We also had a visit from a elf or fairy if you prefer, who took shoes to our mutual friend. It's insane what you see when you drive down the road towards lower village.
1/14 Update: Woke up early and met a friend at Vons in Lower Village to arrange for 6 pallets of water to be delivered to Cold Spring School in time for activities on Monday and re-entry on Tuesday. It took a "village" of firefighters, Vons staff, neighbors and friends, but we got all 6 pallets on the school property this morning before noon. Thank you to Angel Banos Jr. CEO of Socal Golds Gym (largest franchise owner in the world) who paid for our water. Huge direct donation to our community. Thank you to each and every firefighter and each Vons employees. Monique, Denise, Larry, and James to name a few!
Organizer
Eric Greenspan
Organizer
Santa Barbara, CA
