News and Stories of the American Red Cross Gold Country Region
Author: American Red Cross California Gold Country Region
The California Gold Country Region serves a twenty-six county territory including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba counties
Shelter supervisor David Risard and Feeding associate Jennie Risard made sure Park Fire evacuees staying at the Neighborhood Church site in Chico continued to have nourishment and a comfortable stay at the shelter.
No strangers to American Red Cross response and recovery activities, the husband-wife team from Santa Barbara have been American Red Cross volunteers for 20 years—and proud of their 20-year service pins as well as their 5-digit volunteer identification numbers!
Jennie recalls hearing a radio public service announcement about free training to become Red Cross volunteers. The Risards lived in Sonora (CA) at that time and began their volunteer tenure with the Sacramento chapter. “We always wanted to help people,” Jennie said. “When their children got older, that was our chance to spend more time as volunteers.”
How does it make them feel to respond to disasters over the years? The couple concurred that volunteering “is very meaningful work and you never know who might need help.” Dave said “it is satisfying to provide assistance to those displaced from home and needing shelter and food while they prepare to move forward.”
To encourage others to volunteer, Jennie said that their volunteerism has inspired other people who also realized there is a lot of need not only locally but all over the country. “Every little bit helps.”
“The Sheriff banged on my door at two in the morning and said to get out. I had a go bag all packed but forgot to bring it.”
Beverly Stevens evacuated her mountain home in Swansboro, CA, escaping the Crozier Fire that threatened her community. The fire started on August 6. She had to leave behind three cats and her horse.
The 81-year-old was staying at the now-closed Red Cross Shelter at the Cameron Park Community Center. She has an upbeat attitude, saying, “The food’s good here, and my daughter’s friend brought me a bag of my favorites – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!”
The Red Cross, along with partners from El Dorado County and the Salvation Army, provided hot food, a safe place to sleep and other services at this shelter.
American Red Cross volunteers continue to monitor fire activity all over California. If you would like to help those affected by the California Wildfires, visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
By Nathaniel Millard, Community Disaster Risk Reduction Program Manager
There is an African proverb that says if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. The American Red Cross Butte County Community Adaptation Program added that if you want to go fast together, you do that by building relationships.
The Red Cross’ Community Adaptation Program (CAP) is a new program aimed at building community resilience and empowering the community to mobilize during disaster.
The mission of the Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
The Butte County CAP team has spent the last two years in the community identifying needs for community organizations to help build their capacity, capability, and continuity to operate during blue skies, but also to mobilize during response and recovery.
Most of this work has been about building relationships, healing, building trust, and listening.
To help aid food security, the community identified the need to grow more food. The Butte County Local Food Network is an organization that helps build community gardens and helps individuals install garden beds in their backyard. The Butte County Local Food Network, to increase their capacity to serve more gardens, needed a new truck and trailer. The Red Cross stepped in and purchased these things.
For all this work, all the Red Cross asks is to have these organization help during a disaster, and help is exactly what they did. During the Park Fire, when Raley’s donated food to the shelter, Butte County Local Food network stepped up and used their truck to go get the food and deliver to the shelter. When there wasn’t enough storage for food at the shelter, one of the food pantries, the South Chico Community Assistance Center, stepped in and let the Red Cross store food in their fridge for the shelter.
One of the needs identified surrounds building food security throughout Butte County. One of the ways to do this is through food pantries. When the Community Action Agency of Butte County, in partnership with 530 Food Rescue Coalition, identified the need to increase cold storage capacity, the American Red Cross stepped in and purchased over 30 new fridges and freezers around the county, including for seven new food pantry locations.
The Red Cross Butte County CAP team: Nathaniel Millard, Jake Fender and Amalia Rodas.
When the shelter needed freezer space for ice and frozen goods, Bethel AME Church let the American Red Cross move their freezer over to the Neighborhood Church to use it. And when there was left over food at the shelter after one of their meals, 530 Food Rescue came to the shelter, picked up the food and delivered the food to the Jesus Center for the unhoused.
These are just a few examples of the ways that the Red Cross is investing into communities and the communities are mobilizing to help disaster response and recovery, and we are doing this faster and together through the power of relationships.
“The Red Cross CAP team has been instrumental in assessing community needs and filling the identified gaps. They’ve been intentionally inclusive and equitable which has led to an unprecedented level of collaboration across Butte’s social service landscape,” said Timothy Hawkins, CEO of the Community Action Agency of Butte County.
“When we started 530 Food Rescue, we had a theory that an active food rescue network would be an asset to the community after a disaster, to make sure food resources are reaching those in need and not going to waste.”
“The recent fires in Butte County and especially the Park Fire have proven that theory to be true. The 530 Food Rescue team is honored to be of service directing surplus food resources to evacuation sites when appropriate and helping distribute the surplus food to area nonprofits as the shelter sites close,” said Sheila McQuaid, Project Director of the 530 Food Rescue Coalition.
“The American Red Cross shelter teams have so much going on, and yet it is clear that they hate to see good food going to waste. We are happy to take that worry off their plate!”
The Butte County CAP team helped to create the Butte Resilience Collaborative. If you want to participate, join the collaborative here. If you want to volunteer, join the Butte-Glenn VOAD. To donate to the Red Cross, visit redcross.org/donate.
By Michelle DeMeyer, Sierra-Delta Chapter Board and Tiffany Circle Member
Michelle DeMeyer visiting a Park Fire evacuation shelter at the Neighborhood Church in Chico. Michelle is a proud member of our Sierra-Delta Chapter Board of Directors and a member of the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle.
As a Red Cross Sierra-Delta Chapter Board member, and member of the Tiffany Circle, I felt an immense duty to assist wherever possible. My deep roots in the community—born in Butte County and raised in Glenn County—only intensified this drive. With multiple siblings living in Chico, including a brother just two and a half miles from the evacuation line, the fire’s impact was personal and immediate.
This wasn’t my first experience aiding fire victims in Butte County. In 2018, during the Camp Fire which had a devastating impact on the town of Paradise, I volunteered with World Central Kitchen, preparing and delivering food bags to first responders and evacuees in hotels. The Camp Fire’s devastation, where many of my friends lost everything, remains a poignant memory. The Park Fire served as a stark reminder of how swiftly tragedy can strike.
My experience during the Park Fire also fueled my determination to learn more about fire prevention and emergency response. I realized the importance of community preparedness and the need for timely evacuation plans. Witnessing the resilience and unity of the affected communities further strengthened my commitment to volunteer work and disaster relief efforts. The Park Fire incident prompted me to collaborate with local organizations to organize fundraising events and awareness campaigns, aiming to support both individuals affected by the disaster and the ongoing wildfire prevention initiatives. It’s crucial to channel the lessons learned from these tragic events into proactive measures that can help communities better anticipate and respond to future wildfires.
The Park Fire began on July 24, 2024, in the dry and dense vegetation near Bidwell Park, east of Chico. Triple-digit temperatures and high wind gusts fueled the explosive growth of the fire. By Saturday, July 27, the fire had ravaged 350,000 acres with zero percent containment. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for tens of thousands of residents in Butte, Shasta, and Tehama counties, prompting the rapid establishment of Red Cross- and county-managed shelters.
On Saturday, my wife and I arrived at the Neighborhood Church shelter in Chico, ready to assist. We joined the onsite Red Cross team just before lunch, helping to organize and distribute meals to those in need. Due to an increased number of evacuation orders, the shelter was quickly filling up with additional evacuees, which meant we needed more meals than originally planned. Thankfully, we have partners, like World Central Kitchen who could quickly deliver additional lunches, ensuring everyone was fed. Collaboration and planning among organizations like this helps ensure the community needs are met.
Amidst the tragedy, while some people chose to camp in the parking lot and come inside when needed for resources, other individuals sought refuge inside the shelter on cots. One man, lying on a cot and quietly crying, caught my attention. Kneeling beside him, I asked how he was doing. “I’m just happy to be alive and have my photos. It is all I have left,” he said.
Listening to his story, I learned this was not his first evacuation. He had also been displaced during the Camp Fire in 2018. Together, we shared tears and heartfelt moments that will forever hold a special place in my heart.
These are the moments where the Red Cross mission is fulfilled—when compassion, connection, and community come together in unexpected ways.
The Neighborhood Church in Chico, a joint Red Cross/Butte County shelter, was opened in response to the rapidly expanding Park Fire. The shelter currently houses dozens of evacuees, primarily from small communities in the hills above Chico. All are hoping they will soon hear that they can return to their homes.
I chatted with one evacuee under a shade tree outside the shelter. She told me her story, as many evacuees are apt to do in difficult times such as this. She asked that her name and photo not be used in this article.
She told me of having to evacuate six years ago during the Camp Fire in Paradise. She lost everything in that fire. Four years ago, she returned to her community in Paradise. When asked why she returned, she explained to me that Paradise is her home, her community. Simply put, she belongs there.
Yesterday, she was again evacuated from her home. The Park Fire had exploded over the course of a few days and her community of Paradise was again under evacuation watch. She made the decision to immediately leave her home. “Better safe than sorry, and I remember so clearly how quickly the Camp Fire overran our homes. I headed for this shelter to be safe and to wait.”
As we sat under that tree, she smiled and knew she was okay for now. “All I can do is pray.”
If you are interested in helping evacuees of the wildfires in California, please make a financial donation at redcross.org/donate.
You can also roll up your sleeves and become a Red Cross volunteer by visiting redcross.org/volunteer.
The Crescent City/Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce recently awarded California Gold Country Region volunteer Mary Dorman the 2023 Community Volunteer Award for her hard work and dedication to her community during the Smith River Complex Fire.
Since 2007, Dorman has volunteered for the Red Cross in several roles including public affairs, disaster response and most recently as a member of the Northern California Chapter’s board of directors.
Throughout her tenure with the Red Cross, she has been involved in responding to numerous disasters and has provided support and assistance to countless evacuees and others in need. Her volunteer efforts have extended beyond disaster response as she leads prevention efforts with such things as Sound the Alarm smoke alarm installations.
Dorman’s advice to those interested in volunteering is simple. “Jump in and do it. I just love it. I love the people I get to work with, and the other volunteers and staff,” she said.
If you are interested in volunteering with the Red Cross, there are opportunities for everyone! Check out the numerous volunteer opportunities at redcross.org/volunteertoday.
At around 1 a.m. on August 29, 2023, Katie Mummert was awakened by the sound of her fiancé, Chuck, screaming at her from somewhere inside their Clearlake home. The house was on fire.
“The whole hall was just orange,” Katie said. “I panicked and ran into (daughter) Rose’s bedroom. As we stepped into the hallway, the glass doors in the hallway exploded on us. The floors were so hot, my skin was just melting off.”
As Katie got to the back door of the house she realized she had let go of her daughter. “Rose in still in there!” she yelled at Chuck.
Chuck then crawled back into the house, and retrieved eight-year-old Rose, who was unconscious.
Both Rose and Katie were hospitalized. Katie had sustained burns over 30 percent of her body. Rose’s burns covered 67 percent of her tiny frame.
The pair underwent treatment, which included many skin grafts, at UC Davis Medical Center and Shriners Hospital in Sacramento. Katie was hospitalized for two weeks and Rose for a more than two-and-a-half months.
Chuck Lamonte donates blood at UC Davis Medical Center alongside phlebotomist Brandy Synovec. Photo by Lauria PugliaKatie Mummert attends a blood drive at UC Davis held in honor of her and her daughter, Rose. Photo by Laurie PugliaRose Mummert Photo provided by Katie Mummert
During their recovery, Chuck came up with idea to have the American Red Cross host a blood drive in Katie and Rose’s name. It happened on October 20 at UC Davis Medical Center.
“Chuck was really inspired by both hospitals and their treatment of us,” Katie said, noting that the pair received blood products by way of the Red Cross during their hospitalization. “We wanted to be able to give back. Someone saved us by giving blood, so we could make a difference in somebody’s life. That’s why we hosted the drive.”
Strangers, friends, doctors and nurses were among those who donated blood that day, Katie said.
Today, Katie is celebrating her family’s continued recovery. “We are doing fantastic,” she said. “Rose is making leaps and bounds, racing me up the stairs, dancing. She’s very active.”
“Mentally it’s a lot, going from having the perfect life and a perfectly healthy child to a disabled wife and disabled child,” Katie said. “Chuck has been an absolute rock through all of this. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be alive.”
The Red Cross is continuously seeking returning and new blood donors. For information on future blood drives in your area, visit redcrossblood.org.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation shelter at the Karuk Wellness Center in Yreka, CA in mid-August to house and care for a small group of people who had nowhere to go when a wildfire broke out nearby.
Angie Irmer talks to a local TV station during a recent sheltering operation at the Karuk Wellness Center
The shelter remained open for three weeks, staffed by at least 16 Red Cross volunteers who provided shelter, meals, comfort and care at a time when these residents had nowhere to go.
Angie Irmer served as shelter manager at the site while also overseeing sheltering operations for other wildfires in our Northern California Chapter.
“What I saw the most was the community coming together for the families in need,” she said. “The tribe is always very generous in letting us open a shelter there. They receive us with open arms and have been very gracious.”
While the Red Cross always stands ready to help those displaced by natural disasters such as wildfires, the organization is simultaneously educating communities across the Northern California Chapter and the entire California Gold Country Region, about how to prepare for and escape home fires, as well.
Today is Northstate Giving Tuesday, a day you can support our Home Fire Campaign in Lassen, Modoc, Shasta and Siskiyou counties with a financial contribution, to ensure we continue to provide education and resources to your neighbors to ensure they know how to prepare for, and escape, a home fire, and can receive care from the Red Cross once a home fire occurs.
“Supporting the Home Fire Campaign is important to provide critical fire prevention information to the communities we serve,” Irmer said.
Did you know that you have just two minutes to escape a home fire — which is the nation’s most frequent disaster?
On average:
7 people die every day from a home fire, most impacting children and the elderly
More than 30 people suffer injuries from home fires every day
More than $7 billion in property damage occurs from home fires every year
Your support of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign will help ensure that lives are saved in the event of a home fire.
That’s why the American Red Cross and our partners are preparing families to act quickly through our Home Fire Campaign. We have already made a lifesaving difference, achieving our initial goals of installing 2.5 million free smoke alarms and helping to make 1 million households safer in at-risk communities. But home fires remain a daily threat, so the Home Fire Campaign continues across our region, and across the country.
Tashamia Barrow, with her sons, Ike and Isiah, talks to Hope Media of the Cayenne Wellness Center. (Photo by Laurie Puglia)
By Stephen Walsh
A recent American Red Cross blood drive in Sacramento was a special day for Tashamia Barrow and her two young sons. Not only was it to be Tashamia’s first time donating blood, but she was there in support of her two young sons who are dealing with sickle cell disease.
The drive, held in partnership with the Cayenne Wellness Center and the Center of Praise Ministries, was organized to to bring awareness to the Red Cross Sickle Cell Initiative and hopefully find donors whose blood can be used to treat the disease.
Our regional partner SMUD is proud to sponsor the Red Cross Sickle Cell Initiative.
Tashamia said her one-year-old son, Isiah, has full-blown sickle cell disease and her two-year-old son, Ike, has the sickle cell trait but no symptoms. “Knowing what he’s going to go through when he’s getting older – that’s what’s inspiring me to donate, Tashamia said, looking at Ike.
When people donate blood, the blood is tested for specific antigens that are needed to treat sickle cell disease. If the blood contains those characteristics, the Red Cross notifies those donors so they can help sickle cell patients by donating whole blood, plasma, or platelets.
Learn more about the Red Cross Sickle Cell Initiative here.
“I didn’t know the effect my blood can have. Now that I know, I’m encouraging others to donate to save lives,” Tashamia said, thanking the Cayenne Wellness Center for helping to educate her about the disease.
Visit redcrossblood.org to schedule your blood donation. You can also make a financial donation in support of the Red Cross at redcross.org/donate.
Volunteer Deborah Smith poses with a “Cut-Out Clara,” representing Red Cross founder Clara Barton.
California Gold Country Region volunteer Deborah Smith has deployed to disaster responses more than 33 times, both locally and nationally. Known for having fostered collaborative working relationships with local partners, community-based organizations and county agencies, she is widely recognized as a respected subject matter expert.
Deborah is always ready to lend a hand. During one of Northern California’s recent massive wildfires, she volunteered to assist and brought the expertise, knowledge and compassion needed to successfully support their efforts in all ways needed. During that time, she stepped in to assist Disaster Program Managers to take some of the weight off their shoulders.
Throughout her career, Deborah mostly worked in mental health, domestic violence and assessments.
She also worked part-time in a county government role and part-time for Service Employees International Union as a negotiator representing social workers.
“I was able to negotiate a comparable worth settlement bringing social workers – a female-dominated profession – into line with our male counterparts in county service after initiating a study on pay inequities and organizing protests. This afforded me, a then single mother, and others, the income needed to provide for my family with a living wage.”
When the Disaster Program Manager position in the Lake/Mondocino territory was vacant, Deborah stepped up to take on the role until a permanent hire was made. She supported the newly appointed DPM to become familiar with the territory, local partners, and issues specific to the territory.
“We’d be up a creek without her. She is incredible. Deborah goes above and beyond what is expected of her. Her strength and perseverance are second to none,” said one colleague.
Deborah brings compassion for service to the job in a way that supports both evacuees and volunteers alike. She is highly respected by fellow volunteers, American Red Cross staff, local community-based organizations, county agencies and, above all, the people she serves in times of need.
So why did Deborah choose the Red Cross?
“I’m the person who pulls over to the side of the road to help someone,” she said. “The Red Cross does that, and more. I am able to be a part of, and play a major role in, an organization whose mission I believe in.”
We are proud to call Deborah Smith a member of our California Gold County Region team.
Gold Country News and Notes 