SANTA ROSA, Calif.–Redwood Credit Union’s reported its Sonoma County Flood Relief Fund received more than $17,700 from generous donors and grants from PG&E and Verizon, to aid those impacted by the severe Sonoma County floods in the first few months of 2017.
The fund was created by the RCU Community Fund, Inc. (RCUCF), in partnership with the Press Democrat and Sonoma County Supervisors James Gore and Lynda Hopkins. Redwood Credit Union paid the administrative costs so that one hundred percent of the donations could go directly to support the victims of the flood and to support relief efforts.
“We’re grateful to the contributors to RCU’s flood fund. It demonstrates how fortunate we are to live in a community where people truly care about each other,” said Cynthia Negri, RCUCF’s Board President and RCU’s EVP/Chief Operating Officer.
The generous contributions of donors supported the needs of Sonoma County residents in the following ways, the credit union said:
- Twenty-nine checks for $450 each were distributed to the flood victims for a total of $13,000.
- Nearly $4,700 was provided to the Russian Riverkeepers for the Clean River Alliance for flood clean-up and restoration efforts and to provide ongoing support (i.e., small hand tools, safety gear, fees).
This is the third disaster relief fund established by RCU Community Fund, Inc. in the last two years. These efforts included raising $2.5 million for victims of the 2015 Lake County Valley fire and over $265,000 for Lake County Clayton fire relief. These three fundraising efforts combined have provided nearly $2.8 million dollars to victims of the North Bay disasters since 2015, and have been instrumental in supporting the food, shelter and clothing needs of the victims as well as supporting other relief efforts.