Our thoughts are with the tens of thousands of Californians currently evacuating their homes due to destructive wildfires in Southern California.

We know from October’s wildfires in Sonoma and Napa how devastating these natural disasters can be. The Northern California fires killed 42 Californians and destroyed nearly 15,000 homes.

Many of those displaced are low-wage workers in industries like agriculture and tourism, often Latino immigrants. Last week, Irvine’s Board of Directors approved $1 million in grants to support these workers and their families.

These communities have unique needs – needs that local organizations are better equipped to assess and support. That’s why our grants will go to two relief funds that will use them to support community-based organizations:

• Tipping Point Emergency Relief Fund – a $250,000 grant to address immediate relief and medium- and long-term recovery efforts for low-income communities. As of December 4, this large, pooled fund has raised over $23 million for distribution, primarily through local community foundations, service providers, and government partners.
• NorCal Wildfire Relief Fund – a $750,00 grant for medium-and long-term rebuilding efforts for Latino immigrant families and farmworker communities. Sponsored by the Latino Community Foundation, this fund supports Latino-led nonprofits, including the North Bay Organizing Project in Santa Rosa, La Luz Center in Sonoma, and UpValley Family Centers in Calistoga.

Irvine has been able, in our 80-year history, to provide emergency support when circumstances call for it. This is certainly one such time, and we’re grateful to support some of the critical work underway to help our fellow Californians regain their homes and rebuild their livelihoods.