DistasterRelief3

 

Each fiscal year, the Bio X Cell Charitable Fund earmarks a portion of its budget for disaster relief. In 2020, the Bio X Cell Fund Committee voted to support four organization which are facilitating recovery and rebuilding efforts in the ongoing west coast wildfire crisis and historic Atlantic seaboard hurricane season. These organizations are the California Wildfires Fund, Oregon 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund, Wildland Firefighter Foundation, and Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund.

The California Wildfires Recovery Fund is administered by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP). This fund supports communities across California as they rebuild and recover from wildfires. The California Wildfires Recovery Fund makes targeted grants to medium- and long-term recovery efforts, especially those which support vulnerable populations. The Fund also focuses on wildfire mitigation and risk reduction to better position communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from wildfires.

The Oregon 2020 Community Rebuilding Fund (OCF) was established at the request of Oregon governor Kate Brown. The OCF is charged with gathering and distributing resources to mitigate the challenges Oregon faces in the wake of wildfires that have ravaged a state already reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of racial injustice. The OCF is making grants to local organizations providing immediate crisis relief.

The Wildland Firefighter Foundation‘s focus is on helping families of firefighters killed or injured in the line of duty. They provide financial assistance to the families of fallen and injured wildland firefighters as well as grief and bereavement counselling, suicide prevention services, and legacy preservation.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund, which is administered by the CDP, was created in response to the remarkable Atlantic hurricane season projected in 2020. Currently, NOAA is forecasting that this year’s total named storms and hurricanes will be more than double the 1981-2010 historical average. This historic storm season is occurring at a time when emergency resources are already stretched thin because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the pandemic is complicating evacuation, food and shelter efforts, and support of vulnerable populations in an unprecedented way. The CDP Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund will focus on mid- and long-term recovery from these storms and fill in the gaps where public resources are unavailable.

The Bio X Cell Fund is proud to support these organizations and the work they are doing to help rebuild and recover from natural disasters. The Bio X Cell Fund was created with the goal of giving back to our community and bettering the lives of those around us. This aim gives greater meaning to the work that we do at Bio X Cell and fulfills us as individuals. You can learn more about the Bio X Cell Charitable Fund here.