By Jondi Gumz
Mountain Community Resources in Felton, a program run by the 43-year-old nonprofit Community Bridges, is closed due to the CZU Lightning Complex fire but CB has been active in supporting residents evacuated from San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley — and the firefighters, too.
Community Bridges staff and volunteers assemble supplies for individual use. • Photo Credit: Maria Hernandez-Ramirez
“We have made the newly installed shower facilities at Mountain Community Resources in Felton available to firefighters,” said Amy Hanley, marketing & communications manager at Community Bridges.
With more than 45,000 county residents ordered to evacuate, CB purchased food, hygiene supplies and water for the county evacuation shelter sites, and staff and volunteers assembled kits for individual use.
Central Coast Energy Services donated “a huge amount of sleeping bags, personal protection equipment and hand sanitizer” which Community Bridges delivered Saturday to the newly opened shelter at Harbor High School in Santa Cruz.
Starting Friday and over the weekend, efforts were made to reach out to people who are homeless to make them aware that shelter is available when the air outside is so smoky.
Supplies are delivered by Community Bridges to the evacuation shelter at Harbor High School. • Photo Credit: Maria Hernandez-Ramirez
“Word of mouth is important,” Hanley said, noting it’s harder to look up shelter resources on a cell phone.
She said providing paper copies of a flyer with resources is a strategy that’s working.
One more resource: CB’s LiftLine service is providing transportation throughout the county to seniors and people with disabilities. To reach Lift Line call 831-688-9663.
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To support with a donation, visit communitybridges.org/covid19/#bbox-root