Written by Christina Chang
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Ida Eva Zielinska
The Park Fire, which started on July 24, 2024, near Chico, in Butte County, Northern California, burned 709 structures, leaving many in the impacted area with heavy losses. Tzu Chi USA Northwest Region volunteers quickly launched disaster relief distributions of cash cards, with the first round on August 10-11. They continued with a second round on August 17. By the third round on August 24, exactly one month after the Park Fire started, the team completed cash card distributions for all registered survivors. This mission provided $104,500 in aid, benefiting 158 households who could better meet their daily needs in the aftermath of this catastrophe.
Tzu Chi USA Northwest Region’s relief team works together seamlessly from disaster assessment to distribution, assisting each aid recipient efficiently and with care. Photos/Saileung Wong
“You Are Not Alone”
Tzu Chi USA’s second round of Park Fire disaster relief distribution on August 17, 2024, was held at the Northwest Region’s Chico Recovery Center. As the survivors arrived and shared their stories, they felt Tzu Chi volunteers’ genuine care, which helped them feel supported.
The Park Fire destroyed the house where Julie and Sam (pseudonyms) had lived for 38 years. They had to evacuate quickly and only took their two dogs with them as they escaped the flames, having no choice but to leave everything else to burn. Afterward, Sam temporarily stayed at his son’s home in Chico, while Julie returned to her hometown to stay with her parents, over 90 years old. “I have mixed feelings about sleeping in the room where I lived as a child,” she shared, reflecting on this strange and unexpected situation.
When the two received a cash card, they also got Master Cheng Yen’s letter of condolences about their suffering. As Julie read, “You are not alone,” she felt moved to tears. Sam helped her finish reading and also burst into tears. The couple feels overwhelmed by the future, where they must confront the demands of home reconstruction, not to mention the uncertainty of it all. Master Cheng Yen’s loving words and insight into their feelings were akin to a spiritual embrace that Tzu Chi volunteers aimed to bring into the moment through their presence and care.
A young man named John (pseudonym) also showed up at the distribution to express his need for assistance. Both his and his father’s homes were destroyed in the wildfire. He learned from his father that Tzu Chi was assisting, so he came in person for this second distribution round. John had traces of black ash on his body, left over from cleaning up in the family’s homes, and he looked tired, not only from that but also since he is currently living in a broken-down car.
Although John had not registered for disaster relief in advance, the volunteers quickly confirmed his situation, collected the necessary information, and provided a cash card. They also gave him a bamboo bank, explaining that the funds in the cash card were the love and blessings from the community and global donors. Taken aback, John put all the cash and coins in his pocket into the bamboo bank. The volunteer pointed out that he could take it home first, add a coin daily, and make a good wish. When his life becomes stable, he can return his bamboo bank to give back to society.
Two wildfires had hit David Milton Eleazar in the past. The North Complex Fire in 2020, which burned down all his livelihood tools, was the second, and at that time, Tzu Chi volunteers came to the disaster area to care for the survivors. This year, although the Park Fire was just 17 miles from his house, Eleazar didn’t think it would reach his home. Unfortunately, he was wrong: “It turned out that this wildfire was a monster, burning down my home. I had to ride my motorcycle and quickly evacuate. I might be the last person to escape the fire.”
There was no need to queue up at the Tzu Chi distribution site. The process was simple and smooth. I received a $600 cash card that can immediately subsidize my temporary living needs.
Eleazar currently lives in a mobile home converted from a bus. When he initially went to the Local Assistance Center for help, Tzu Chi volunteers were efficient while equally attentive to the lingering effects of his past disaster traumas as they listened to his story, realizing how challenging the current situation must be for him. This time, Eleazar shared that he was born in San Jose and had studied judo in a Buddhist temple as a child. Grateful for the help from Master Cheng Yen and Tzu Chi, he took the initiative to express his hope to learn more about the essence of Buddhism in the future. Moreover, he greatly appreciated the immediate financial assistance he received that day.
Warm Greetings and Wool Dolls
Eighteen Tzu Chi volunteers participated in the second round of cash card distribution on August 17. Volunteers from San Jose, Sacramento, and Chico worked together to help the Park Fire survivors with care.
Volunteer Sharon Li, who usually assists as an English and Spanish interpreter during Tzu Chi’s various activities, lives in Milpitas, a suburb of San Jose, and set out early in the morning, driving more than three hours to reach the distribution site in Chico. She brought a bag with 136 wool dolls she had knitted herself and asked the volunteers to give them to the survivors with children when they cared for them.
The team gave out 27 dolls that day. Li initially made the dolls for Tzu Chi’s year-end care activities for those impacted by the flooding disaster in Pajaro, an agricultural community that straddles Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. She gave away 130 dolls to children there during the relief mission last year.
Li continued her knitting plan to make more dolls this year. Making one takes about three hours, and she adds her love with each loop. She hoped to match last year’s donation quantity but surpassed it in the summer. When Park Fire care recipients received the cute dolls Li had made during this distribution, many felt comforted. With a forlorn smile, one said, “All my stuffed toys were burned in the fire, and now I have another one.”
More Care on the Way
On August 24, the Chico Recovery Center volunteer team distributed cash cards to more Park Fire survivors. After three rounds of disaster relief, Tzu Chi USA aims to launch medium- and long-term care as needed.
Minjhing Hsieh, Executive Director of Tzu Chi USA’s Northwest Region, resides in San Jose and frequently travels back and forth between there and Chico. Hsieh was instrumental in setting up the Chico office and team to provide continued long-term disaster recovery assistance in the area after the devastating Camp Fire in 2018. After this mission, he commended the Chico team for their growth in autonomy and capacity to meet new disaster relief needs swiftly and efficiently, having completed the Park Fire short-term relief operation within one month.
The small Chico volunteer team collaborated to convey Tzu Chi's love and care to the survivors. I hope that the Chico volunteer team can grow further and provide more services to the community.
The team is now reading for mid-to-long-term care and rebuilding in collaboration with various partner organizations in the Chico community involved in reconstruction. They plan to focus on assisting Cohasset and Forest Range, two Butte County communities hardest hit by the Park Fire. The team will continue to care for the survivors and help them return to normal life as soon as possible. At the same time, Tzu Chi USA and the Northwest Region’s Chico team are ready to launch disaster assessment and relief immediately when new catastrophes strike. Your love and care empower all their efforts and missions.
