How you can aid the families
Several fundraisers have been set up to help make donations
OAKLAND — In the wake of the deadly Fruitvale district warehouse fire, several fundraisers and benefits have been established to help those affected by the devastating blaze.
Alameda County has activated its Disaster Relief Fund to allow people to make cash or online donations to help the survivors and the families of the victims of the three-alarm fire that killed at least 36 people, according to the county website. The county’s 9,600 employees also have the option to donate up to five days of their accrued holiday in-lieu time, vacation time or compensatory time.
The county’s Disaster Relief Fund was initially established after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and has been reactivated for other catastrophic tragedies, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and shootings in San Bernardino in 2015 and Orlando in 2016.
Donations to the fund can be made online at acgov.org or by mail at the Auditor Controller Agency, 1221 Oak St., Room 238, Oakland, CA 94612. Checks should be written to the Alameda County Disaster Relief Fund.
Two YouCaring pages started to support victims of the Ghost Ship fire surpassed $1 million in relief funds raised, according to a spokeswoman for YouCaring.
The Oakland A’s, Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders each pledged to match an additional $50,000. The A’s Community Foundation‘s YouCaring page raised more than $398,000 plus the $150,000 in matching funds, totaling about $548,000.
The Gray Area Foundation for the Arts raised more than $468,000 for victims of the fire.
People in the art and music community have also come together for planned benefits to honor and help the victims.
Oakland Fire Benefit: Kimya Dawson, Torrey Pines, Johnny Physical
When: 7-9 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Midsummer Studios, 5743 Horton St., Suite A, Emeryville
Yours Truly: A benefit for Ghost Ship fire victims
When: 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday
Where: El Rio, 3158 Mission St., San Francisco
Benefit for Ghost Ship at the Golden Bull
When: 8 p.m. Thursday Where: Golden Bull, 412 14th St., Oakland
AFC Presents: A concert to support the victims of the Oakland Fire
When: 6:30 p.m.midnight Friday
Where: The Arlene Francis Center, 99 Sixth St., Santa Rosa