Community rallies in support of fire victims

Many people across the Central Coast are coming together to help victims of the Soberanes fire. Efforts range from fundraisers to supplies to even giving up homes – free of charge.

As the Soberanes Fire continues to rage out of control, AIRBnB host Martha Henry is preparing a room in her home. She is offering it at no cost to anyone who has been forced to evacuate.

“I hope the evacuees know that we are here for you,” said Henry.

Henry isn’t alone. She is one of at least 12 AIRBnB hosts offering rooms or even their entire homes for free.

“What we’ve done is actually block off our AIRBnB calendar just in the event that someone local needs shelter,” said Henry.

The generosity doesn’t stop there. Henry’s granddaughter, Sabria Henry-Hunter, and her Girl Scout troop are also getting involved. They collected pet food to drop off at Carmel Middle School.

“To me it is important to give back because if I was in their situation or their predicament…I would never want to feel like a burden,” said Henry-Hunter.

The donations were very much appreciated.

“They dropped of a huge truck full of food,” said SPCA spokesperson, Stacy Soracco. “It was the Girl Scouts of Marina and Seaside and it was amazing.”

The American Red Cross says it is still in need of monetary donations and the SPCA says they still need supplies for pets.

“We are in definite need of dog, treats, cat treats and toys,” said Soracco. “We are still definitely asking for the small bags of food.”

On Wednesday, people kept coming by the school to drop of donations. As the community comes together to help, Henry says she is inspired by the golden rule.

“Treat others how you would like to be treated,” said Henry-Hunter. “So I think it is just natural to try to help as much as we can.”