Individuals, groups and businesses in the Pikes Peak region have donated by the droves to support Waldo Canyon fire victims.
“A Community Rises,” a benefit concert Wednesday night at the World Arena raised $203,000 alone.
But even as firefighters near 100 percent containment, there are many ways the community can share support for victims.
“We’ll be able to help these folks as long as they need,” said Shannon Coker, an official with Care and Share.
One million pounds of food have been donated to Care and Share, and the organization has fed 517,000 pounds of that food at sites such as evacuation centers and fire stations.
Coker said donation sites include Walgreens, Wendy’s, the World Arena and many other places.
Care and Share especially needs non-perishable items including macaroni and cheese, soups, beef stew, ravioli and cereal.
Catherine Barde, an official with the Pikes Peak chapter of the American Red Cross, said donations and fundraisers for fire victims are always welcome.
But there’s another way to help: sign up to train to be a Red Cross volunteer.
Another major entity is the Pikes Peak United Way, which in conjunction with the El Pomar Foundation started the Waldo Canyon Fire Victims Assistance Program. The United Way was behind Wednesday’s benefit concert.
Looking for more options to help? Here are several others:
• McCloskey Motors is accepting donations for victims of the Waldo Canyon fire from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at its 6710 N. Academy Blvd. store. Cash, non-perishable food items, pet items and clothing are of the highest need.
• Student Council members from the three high schools in Falcon School District 49 will host a Benefit Bash Friday July 6 inside the air-conditioned Sand Creek High School gym. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Sand Creek High School, 7005 N. Carefree Drive. Falcon, Sand Creek and Vista Ridge high school students will collect monetary donations, and non-perishable food items, personal care products and bottled water for Care and Share. A station will be set up so people can create cards for firefighters and others who worked on the Waldo Canyon fire. Other activities include a bake sale, games and bounce house.
• The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region asks anyone living mandatory evacuation areas who has seen any friendly, domestic stray cats to bring them to the shelter so they can be reconnected with their owners. The humane society has been receiving many calls about lost cats.
• Eastside Church of Christ at 5905 Flintridge Drive will be distributing supplies to victims 8 a.m. to noon Friday. The church has food kits with a 60-pound box of food, water bottles, cereal, chips, chili, stew and trash bags; cleaning kits with a bucket of cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, bleach and all-purpose cleaner; baby kits with diapers, baby food and wipes; hygiene and first aid kits; linen kits with pillows, blankets and flat sheets; and hardware supplies with brooms, mops, shovels, rakes, dust masks, work gloves and wheelbarrows.
• Brian Robinson, vice president of Rob-Kraft Inc., wrote in an email that as a Burger King franchise in the Colorado Springs area, the company has joined the Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross to collect donations. For each donated dollar, guests at Burger King will get a soft-serve ice cream cone.
• An online food auction is scheduled Sunday. Visit dinnersdishesanddesserts.com for more information.
• U.S. Bancorp Foundation is contributing $75,000 to local relief efforts of the American Red Cross. U.S. Bank also has a hardship program for customers that have been impacted by the Colorado wildfires.
• The Apartment Association of Southern Colorado has compiled a list of available apartment units and special offers to the evacuees. Those who need apartments should contact Apartments Etc., at 637-9449.
• Terra Verde will match any cash or check donation to the Red Cross, Humane Society, Care and Share or any other group supporting the Waldo Canyon fire effort that is dropped off at its store – up to $5,000.
• The Pikes Peak Community Foundation has created The Waldo Canyon Fire Fighters Fund to support the firefighters of El Paso and Teller counties. This fund will be used to provide resources for fire departments that are working on the Waldo fire and will continue working on it in the future. On Friday, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s Colorado Springs office will host a casual “dress-down” day to raise money for this fund, according to an email.
• American Medical Response and The Bob Telmosse Foundation are collecting donations of new, unwrapped toys and sporting gear to give to children who’ve lost toys. Donations will be accepted at American Medical Response, 2370 N. Powers Blvd., daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until July 13 and at Retrospect Dry Goods, 251 Front St., #8 in Monument until July 13. Hours at the Monument donation site are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Monetary donations will be accepted by The Bob Telmosse Foundation in support of Save the Summer at www.santa-bob.org or at Bristol Brewing Company, 1647 S. Tejon St.
• LensCrafter’s in the Citadel Mall and and the Chapel Hills Mall will give any victim who lost their home or valuables a free pair of glasses. They have limited free exams, but victims with pre-existing prescriptions will be accepted. Evacuees do not qualify for this, but they are eligible for a higher discounted rate.
• Visit www.zazzle.com/reflectionsbyerika to order shirts, bumper stickers and more to support the Red Cross and firefighters.
• Colorado author Robert Liparulo and publisher Thomas Nelson have donated copies of his young adult thriller, “House of Dark Shadows,” to organizations that are requesting donated books.
• Allstate Insurance presented the Pikes Peak Community Foundation Waldo Canyon Firefighters Fund with a $10,000 check on Thursday.
• American Furniture Warehouse presented a $60,000 check to the American Red Cross-Mile High Region and a $60,000 check to The Salvation army this week. This money is specifically for fire victims.
• On Thursday, JPMorgan Chase announced that it will donate $25,000 to the Colorado Chapters of the American Red Cross for the relief efforts for the fires in Colorado. Also, their 2,000 employees along the Front Range are donating money and time to help out local relief. Most employees have the eligibility to have donations matched by JPMorgan Chase.
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