Business wildfire relief fund tops $180,000

Four Oregon business associations stepped up to raise funds to provide community-level support for displaced families and devastated businesses following the state’s 2020 wildfires.

To date, the Oregon Business Wildfire Relief Fund – a joint effort of Oregon Business & industry (OBI), the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce (OSCC), the Oregon Business Council and the Oregon Bankers Association – has raised more than $180,000 from individuals, companies and associations in locations throughout Oregon – and the entire United States.

“Oregon businesses look out for each other and for our communities,” said OBI President and CEO Sandra McDonough. “The wildfires last fall displaced families and destroyed livelihoods in several locations around Oregon. I am so thankful to individuals who stepped up to help us support the on-the-ground, community-based organizations that are working day in and day out to assist these communities as they recover.”

From the McKenzie Valley to the Rogue Valley, and the Oregon Coast to Central Oregon, the Oregon Business Wildfire Relief Fund funded innovative partnerships with local chambers of commerce to aid wildfire victims in the seven months since the blazes began last September.

Organizations that received support for Holiday Farm Fire recovery projects included the McKenzie River Chamber of Commerce, McKenzie River Community School, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary Club of Eugene.

About $134,000 has gone out the door to organizations - mostly nonprofits - that applied for support. The remaining dollars will be spent in the same way, organizers say. The OBI Education and Research Foundation, which is managing the program, has pledged that 100% of the dollars raised will go to the communities needing relief.