Help Rebuild Sierra Roots Wellness Apothecary

Dearest community,

I come here with a deeply heavy heart to ask for your help.

This Wednesday, a tragic fire started in the apothecary during a short span of a few minutes. Mixed with high wind and a brewing storm starting, one side of the apothecary went up in flames. Sam, my dear friend, and herbal apprentice was the first on the scene to let me know. I was in our tiny house talking to a client and in a panic, grabbed two fire extinguishers and ran up the hill. Upon reaching the building I burst in and was able to put out the flames with two 5-gallon buckets of Spring water and shortly after my other friend and apprentice Natalie, used the fire extinguisher to put out the rest.

911 was called, but we live about 30 minutes from the nearest fire station so it was in our hands to protect the land and the rest of the building. Truckee fire arrived, ready and happy to help. They were the most compassionate fire team and helped us extinguish the rest of the heat in the walls using a fire hose and thermal indicator.

My husband Rich rushed home from Reno, and together - Sam, Natalie, Rich, and I spent the rest of the day covered in ash and soot, wearing masks and taking every single thing out of the building piece by piece to assess for damage.

We lost A LOT of products and saved some. The heat scorched my bulk herbs stored in plastic bags, ruined some apothecary equipment, and worst of all we no longer have a space to operate Sierra Roots Wellness.

Many of you may know, but if you don’t we live off-grid here in a tiny house in the Sierra Nevada Mountains- so the only option here is to rebuild and start anew. I don’t have the option to operate in another place on the land, so this leaves me with the only option to rebuild. 

After almost 9 years of learning about herbal medicines connecting to the earth + upholding my passion to support others- THIS APOTHECARY came out of a vision for my own space, a home for the herbs, and a place to create and help medicines reach my community and beyond. Sierra Roots Wellness was born out of that dream.

While I don’t quite know what the future holds, I want to keep going. I want to rebuild this small business, I want Sierra Roots Wellness to live on.

I am asking for your support.

For some, this may be a monetary donation - And for that, I would be most appreciative to rebuild the structure and fix the damage done to the apothecary building, purchase the herbs and equipment that was was lost, and be able to come back rested and ready to carry on. This has been my sole and primary source of income the last 2 1/2 years and taking a big pause from my work while enduring the great losses is going to hit really hard on myself and our family financially. 

I’m also putting the call out for those who work with their hands, can build things, and have access to wood and tools. We’ll need you, I want to put up new walls, create new dreams and use our hands and hearts together to build something from the ashes of this tragedy. 

Our goal is to reopen Sierra Roots Wellness Summer 2022. What product did survive, we will be having a flash sale online after I can get a new printer to print labels. Stay tuned.

BIG LOVE to you all. Thank you wholeheartedly for your prayers, support, and kindness. 

“To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.” – Wendell Berry