L.B. sending hope to California wildfire victims

Waves of Hope USA Inc., a local organization that delivers aid to victims of natural disasters, hosted a toy drive between Dec. 14 and 16 to collect gifts to deliver to people affected by the recent California wildfires and the families of the first responders.

The drive is a combined effort between the Long Beach group, the St. Helena, Calif., Chamber of Commerce and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to spread holiday cheer to those affected by the natural disasters in the Napa Valley region.

In October, more than 1,200 structures were destroyed or damaged by the fires in Napa County, according to the Napa Valley Register.

“Our mission statement is providing hand-delivered disaster relief after the first responders have moved on,” said volunteer and organizer Christina Kramer. “After FEMA, the Red Cross, or whoever tends to life needs, we try to do a fundraiser to try to give you a helping hand to get back on your feet.”

Neighbors were in and out of the parish hall at St. Mary of the Isle last Saturday, where children participated in arts and crafts activities like decorating Santa hats and making Christmas cards. Volunteers collected and wrapped childrens’ presents as well as gift cards in increments of $25 to send them to wildfire victims.

In October, Waves of Hope volunteers collected basic necessities and delivered them to victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The effort attracted media attention — much more than originally anticipated, Kramer said — and it inspired volunteers to continue their work.

“After the Harvey [effort], we were done, and people kept saying, ‘What are you doing for Christmas? What are you doing for Christmas?” Kramer said. “Until we did the Hurricane Harvey event — which was really accidentally that we got so much response from that — I didn’t realize that I was capable of giving. But now I see it. It’s really easy to give back, so if you can do it, you should do it.”

A truck filled with donations left Long Beach on Saturday afternoon and is scheduled to arrive in California on Thursday, Kramer said. She and her husband, Tim, and their sons Cooper, 12, and Chase, 7, were set to travel to California on Wednesday and help distribute the items to victims using large red bags to resemble Santa’s sack.

“So now you have all these kids out in California that lost everything — they lost their bedrooms, their home, their neighborhood,” Tim Kramer said. “All these attachments that they identified with are now gone, and to explain that to a child is almost impossible. If we could give that tiny glimmer of hope back — that’s what we’re looking to do.”

Local businesses were eager to be a part of the effort, donating products, services, gift cards and creating gift baskets for raffles, including Scout Design shop, Earth Arts, the Codfish Cowboy, the Saloon, the Cabana, Mio Posto and JJ Coopers, among others.

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky and Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford visited the drive on Saturday to drop off donations and take part in the festivities.  

Additionally, using a makeshift photography studio, Kramer took festive holiday photos of people who donated gifts and printed them on the spot, free of charge, as a way to return the favor.

“Everyone came and helped us [after Sandy], and it’s our turn to help them,” said volunteer Melissa Candreva. “And it’s that time of year — it’s the giving season. On Christmas morning and Hanukkah you never want a kid to go without being able to open up a present.”