Coats and socks from Bay Area headed to Camp Fire victims before rain comes

ByLeslie Brinkley KGO logo
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Coats and socks from Bay Area headed to Camp Fire victims before rain comes
A truckload of badly needed supplies rolled into Chico to be distributed to those who need coats and blankets. It was part of MedShare's urgent mission to beat the rain.

CHICO, Calif. (KGO) -- A truckload of badly needed supplies rolled into Chico to be distributed tonight to those who need coats and blankets. It was part of MedShare's urgent mission to beat the rain.

Volunteer Lynne Allen said, "My heart goes out to the people out there. It just goes out to them. I cannot imagine what they're going through."

RELATED: Butte County Fire: How you can help the victims

Allen went on a shopping spree to T.J. Maxx, Macy's and Safeway Tuesday morning. She picked up socks, underwear, blankets and cases of water.

Rain is coming to the fire zone. MedShare always boxes and ships medical supplies and personal care products, like toothbrushes and diapers, to people in need in disaster zones around the globe. This time the need was a three hour drive away. They scored boxes of hard to come by N95 masks and then one volunteer pulled off a small miracle.

Jarie Bolander said, "That's the beautiful thing. You can do good. My dad offered the truck, my friend Christina offer the trailer, MedShare has the supplies and I got the time-- let's just make it happen. "

And bingo-- it all came together.

A trailer and generator were donated. The supplies so desperately needed were boxed and loaded by 1:00 PM to be handed out in Chico by 5 PM.

RELATED: Butte County Fire: Current evacuations, road closures, donation information

MedShare Western regional director Eric Talbert said they transported the most needed items, the things that are most impactful at this time-- coats, blankets, socks and masks. They'll be boxing up more donations on Wednesday, between 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM so the next truckload is ready to go after the holiday.

Talbert said, "The message to the people of Paradise is clear-- stay safe, stay dry, we've got more coming."

See more stories, photos and videos on the Camp Fire in Butte County.