The staggering figures I read before going to bed last night concerning the huge California fires in both the northern and southern parts of that state are horrific: 63 reported dead so far, and 631 people are currently listed as missing. These are far beyond mere brush fires, and more than 9,700 homes have been destroyed.
Consequently, the Masonic Service Association of North America has just issued a new Disaster Relief Appeal for California as of about 11:30AM this morning. It reads:
Most Worshipful Stuart A. Wright, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California, has requested the Masonic Service Association of North America to issue a Disaster Relief Appeal. Wildfires have brought unprecedented death and destruction across the state. The Grand Lodge is aiding and assisting their Brothers, their families, and their communities in providing aid and assistance.
Grand Master Wright says, “The wildfires now raging in California are unlike anything we’ve seen before. The 215-square mile Camp Fire in Northern California is the deadliest in California history with over 10,000 structures destroyed and dozens of fatalities. The Woolsey Fire has burned nearly 100,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and has resulted in additional deaths and destroyed structures. Hundreds of Masons, their families, and widows have been evacuated, and many of them have lost their homes. Places of employment and education have been destroyed, making the immediate future of many in our Masonic family very uncertain.
“The loss has been great and, unfortunately, it will only become greater before the fires are contained. There is an immediate need for help.”
Please keep up to date at MSA's website, www.msana.com as well as MSA's Facebook Page and Facebook Group. This link can also be added to websites to direct donations through MSA.
Please forward any donations you feel appropriate to help in this stricken jurisdiction to MSA. Please make checks payable to MSA Disaster Relief Fund and send to 3905 National Drive, STE 280, Burtonsville, MD 20866. When remitting by check, please clearly mark that you wish the funds to go to the California Disaster Appeal.
All administrative expenses, bank charges, bookkeeping, and cost of acknowledgment letters is absorbed by MSA in its operating budget. Your entire donation will be sent to the affected jurisdiction. That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it will continue.
MSA is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.To donate online via Paypal or for more information and for all current Disaster Relief Appeals by the MSA, visit the MSA website HERE or contact Simon LaPlace at 301-476-7330.
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