03 Oct Please The Palate Pick of the Week: 2020 Wine Country Fire Relief Fundraiser

It has been another extremely difficult week in wine country in Northern California. At the time that I am writing this, the Glass Fire Incident in Napa County and Sonoma County has burned more than 62,000 acres, destroying at least 220 homes and 194 commercial structures, and forcing the evacuation of at least 68,000 people. It has resulted in more wineries announcing that they will not be making a 2020 vintage. And only ten percent of the fire is contained. It has saddened me to no end and I feel so helpless. But thanks to a handful of wine industry marketing professionals, the 2020 Wine Country Fire Relief Fundraiser Continues is a way that we can all help wine country and is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

During the 2017 wine country fires, some of the best names in wine public relations, Tia Butts, Katie Calhoun, Kimberly Charles, and Rebecca Hopkins, launched a GoFundMe campaign and raised close to $100,000 for direct relief focused on farmworkers who are a vital part of the wine industry’s fabric.

As bad as 2017 was, we are here again. California has been under siege form an unprecedented series of wildfires across the state that started on August 15, 2020. We need to help the wineries, the people of wine country, the firefighters and first responders.

For 2020, another wine public relations powerhouse, Katherine Jarvis, joined the team of Tia Butts, Katie Calhoun, Kimberly Charles, and Rebecca Hopkins. They have re-launched the fundraising campaign and have set up a GoFundMe page.

The campaign has a similar objective of supporting various regions’ most essential needs. The team is monitoring the situation and reviewing the neediest organizations to serve the community. Currently they are in talks with two organizations in the Santa Cruz Mountains which was severely affected, as well as Sonoma County where many farmworkers live and work.

With a goal of $75,000, they have raised $6040 to date! If you are looking for a way to help, consider donating! And share this with your friends and colleagues! We love our wineries and want to show them how much we care! Follow the Facebook Page for updates: 2020 Wine Country Fire Relief Fund

Also, another way to help out during this crisis is to support Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley wines from your favorite producers.